Portales board to hear sports plans

PORTALES — The Portales School board will hear plans for offseason sports workout plans that Portales High School will implement once the New Mexico Activities Association allows workouts June 15.

The 1 p.m. meeting can be accessed virtually by the public at the “Webcast” section at:

portalesschools.com

A letter from PHS Athletic Director Mark Gallegos states coaches will plan to use the remainder of June to work on overall conditioning and core strength, followed by sport-specific work in July.

Also in the plan:

• Students can choose to work out either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday at one of the following three time slots — 7 a.m.-7:30 a.m., 8 a.m.-8:30 a.m. or 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

• Each practice will be limited to 55 athletes, and students will be asked to register at portalesschools.com for a spot.

• Athletes are to come dressed for practice, bring their own water bottle and a bag for their bottle, mask and any other gear. Hand sanitizer will be provided before and after practice. Locker rooms will not be open, and restrooms will be available for emergencies.

• Athletes are asked to arrive 10 minutes early in parking lots designated for each field. Screening is required upon entry, and anybody with a temperature of 100.3 or greater will be sent home.

• All coaches and staff working with athletes will be tested for COVID-19. Tests are optional for athletes, and available at La Casa in Portales. Coaches and staff will wear masks at all times; athletes are required to wear them to enter facilities, but can remove them for workouts.

• Athletes will be placed in pods of up to five with one coach, per NMAA guidelines, and each pod will have athletes standing 6 feet apart throughout the workout. Each field will have no more than four pods.

• Once a workout is concluded, athletes are required to leave the campus.

Other items on the Monday agenda include:

• A presentation of the 2020 New Mexico School Boards Association Excellence for Student Achievement Award.

• A request to dispose of fixed assets that do not require state auditor approval.

• Ratification of six budget adjustments.

• A memorandum of agreement between the city and the school district. Superintendent Johnnie Cain said the agreement covers the city’s use of district fields for youth sports.

• An agreement between the district and the city for a school resource officer program.

• Student nutrition vendor awards to Labatt Food (food/supply), Dean Foods (dairy) and Bimbo Bakeries (bakery).

• An application for the migrant education program for the 2020-21 school year.