Red Knights field completed for season opener

1:40 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect Toronto’s football team will play at home at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

TORONTO -- Crews completed work on the new Clarke Hinkle Field at Toronto High School's Red Knights Stadium on Thursday, in time for the football team's season-opener tonight.

The Red Knights were prepared to face Wellsville until a report of COVID-19 case in that school's football program led to pursuing other plans.

Friday afternoon, school officials announced the Red Knights instead will host Orange High School from Pepper Pike at 7:30 p.m.

Superintendent Maureen Taggart said, after conducting a walk-through of the field at about 7 p.m. Thursday, just after the school board's meeting, "Everything is done and ready for the first game."

Dalton, Ga.-based AstroTurf and Playing Surface Solutions of Meadville, Pa., were the contractors behind the new artificial turf field, which is part of a $1.6 million project that will include a new visitors section and athletic track.

Taggart said temporary bleachers have been installed until the Southern Bleacher Co. of Graham, Texas, sets about building a 528-seat section during a three-week period when the Red Knights will be playing away.

Plans call for the section to include a 256-square-foot press box.

The creation of a new athletic field behind the visitors section is slated to be completed for the spring season.

As the new school year approached, the coronavirus also touched returning Toronto students, with three cases linked to the high school's marching band, resulting in at least a dozen others being quarantined.

But Taggart said just one member remained under quarantine on Thursday, allowing the band to resume performances.

During Thursday's board meeting, she and other school officials noted schools reopened closer to pre-COVID normalcy though still affected by it.

Under guidelines by the Ohio Department of Health, students aren't required to wear masks but are encouraged to if they haven't been vaccinated against the virus.

Those who have had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 may not attend school in person or participate in extracurricular activities if they haven't been vaccinated and consistently worn masks.

State health officials added they may return after seven days if they have tested negative for the virus at least five days after exposure.

The state health department has advised those who had contact with a positive COVID-19 case but were vaccinated may continue in-person school and activities if they have tested negative at least three to five days following exposure.

There have been reported cases of individuals who have been vaccinated still contracting the disease, though some medical leaders believe it is less serious.

Those who have had contact with someone with COVID-19 but consistently wore a mask are advised to test for it at least 5 days after exposure, according to public health officials.

Health officials say any student who has tested positive, regardless of whether they regularly mask or have been vaccinated, should isolate themselves for at least 10 days.

Taggart noted all students are required to wear masks on school buses because the federal Centers for Disease Control called for masks on all public transportation.

Local school principals said Thursday there have been a few cases of parents bringing their children to school because they don't want them to have to wear masks.

Betsy Jones, principal of Toronto Junior-Senior High School, and Annie Silverthorn, principal of Toronto Elementary School, said the number of students opting for virtual instruction at home has dropped significantly.

The principals reported four virtual students at the junior-senior high school, compared to about 70 last year, and two at the elementary school, compared to more than 60 last year.

Taggart told the board the school district will continue to provide free breakfasts and lunches to students as part of a pandemic relief measure initiated last year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In other business, the board:

● Approved the hiring of Houk Lawn Care & Landscaping, at a cost of $12,800, to install new sprinkler equipment for the baseball field's outfield since the infield has been replaced with artificial turf.

● Approved fees for the district's pre-school program based on a sliding scale, with $30 the maximum for a part-time pupil and $60 for a full-time one. Today is the first day for pre-school and kindergarten.

● Approved $9,726 for a new point of sale computer system by Heartland for the school's cafeteria. Taggart said as with the former system, students will enter a personal identification number when receiving their meals, but the Heartland system will be more compatible with the district's student information system for the purpose of recordkeeping.