Vaccine mandate loosened for spirit games featuring Spokane, Central Valley schools

Organizers for several high school basketball rivalry games next week at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena have loosened one of the COVID-19 restrictions to make it easier for unvaccinated students to attend.

The arena will accept the results of at-home COVID-19 tests for anyone 12 and older going to the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday games featuring Spokane and Central Valley schools.

The decision marks a change in the self-imposed precautions put in place by event organizers, including the Spokane Public Facilities District, which – up until Thursday – only planned to accept proof of full vaccination or an acceptable 72-hour negative COVID-19 test for entry.

The move doesn’t apply to the Wednesday game between East Valley and West Valley high schools; proof of COVID-19 vaccination or test verification is only required for the other three games. For all four games, the Spokane Arena will require face masks for anyone 5 and older regardless of vaccination status.

Accepting at-home test results as another option for COVID-19 vaccine verification is a special case for the spirit games, said Stephanie Curran, CEO of the Spokane Public Facilities District. Vaccine verification requirements for other Spokane Arena events will be posted on the arena’s website.

Washington state’s COVID-19 regulations recommend COVID-19 vaccine verification for smaller indoor events. Vaccine verification is required for indoor events with more than 10,000 people if venues choose to operate at 100% capacity; otherwise, large indoor events are limited to 75% capacity.

The last time Spokane Public Schools had a spirit week game prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spokane Arena reported an estimated crowd of roughly 4,000 people, said district spokesperson Ryan Lancaster.

As such, Curran said the Spokane Public Facilities District initially planned to host the games without any vaccine verification system in place. In light of a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations with the omicron variant, however, the health district asked the school districts and Public Facilities District to require proof of vaccination as an extra precaution.

The precautions were initially in step with the state mandate, which doesn’t allow self-reported negative test results that are not from a test provider, a laboratory or a health care provider as acceptable proof.

Curran said she and Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard decided to loosen that restriction Thursday after discussing how required PCR testing “would put pressure on the local testing sites and impact members of our community who were symptomatic and in need of a PCR test.”

“Since the testing requirement for the spirit games is a precaution above and beyond the mandate, for these events only we are accepting at home tests which the school districts will hand out to the students today,” Curran said in an email Friday. “(Spokane Regional Health District) has an attestation form the students will sign and present as they enter the Arena.”

Kelli Hawkins, public information officer with the Spokane Regional Health District, said the health district believes the measure balances public safety and concerns over testing availability with allowing the event to proceed in the name of socialization and well-being for the students.

The spirit games were previously postponed in January at the health district’s recommendation amid a surge of COVID-19 cases.

“We are starting to see some plateauing of our case numbers, telling us that maybe transmission is slowing a bit,” she said.

Spokane Public Schools recorded 373 confirmed cases among students and staff who entered a school building between Friday, Jan. 28 and Thursday, down from 1,016 cases reported the previous week. The number of individuals quarantined was also down from 835 to 543.

The Central Valley School District has seen similar decreases since last week. The district reported 743 positive cases among students and staff in the past 10 days, down from a record 1,368 cases reported Jan. 28, according to the school district’s dashboard posted Friday.

In the Mead School District, 409 students and staff have tested positive in the past 10 days. Coeur d’Alene Schools, meanwhile, reported 116 cases through Friday, down from 196 last week.

Hawkins said while potentially falsified self-reported test results are always a concern, the health district has faith that the community wants to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“I believe the community will make the best decisions they can to keep everyone safe,” she said.

Spokane Public Schools sent a letter to parents stating that students interested in attending the games could request an at-home test and attestation form from their schools.

Meanwhile, Central Valley School District is sending at least 100 at-home tests Saturday to families who requested them, said Marla Nunberg, the school district’s director of communications. Nunberg said the tests are meant for family members to use, however, as students will be tested Monday at school.

“We’re excited to give the opportunity to do this tradition for the students’ families,” Nunberg said, “and that we’re taking all safety precautions so we’re doing it in a safe and healthy environment.”

Here’s the schedule for next week’s spirit week games at the Spokane Arena:

• Rubber Chicken: Lewis & Clark High School vs. Ferris High School, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday
• Stinky Sneaker: University High School vs. Central Valley High School, 5 and 7 p.m. Tuesday
• Golden Throne: East Valley High School vs. West Valley High School, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
• Groovy Shoes: North Central High School vs. Shadle Park High School, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday