When Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray moved classes entirely online for the fall, the decision was hailed as difficult, but necessary to ensure the safety of students during the epidemic.
But parents, students and even some coaches are balking at his closing of all sporting events. It would particularly affect young football players who have been practicing in anticipation that they would be able to play.
Neither private schools nor the municipal school districts are shutting down their athletic programs, which, as political analyst Otis Sanford points out, reveals the "inherent unfairness" of the virus' impact on minority communities.