Marion County’s health leader warns of risk of canceling high school football season

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In the Marion County Health Department’s most recent COVID-19 update, Dr. Virginia Caine said if county schools don’t follow county rules, it could cost them the season.

Caine, the department’s leader, said it’s important schools practice the same safety precautions at away games as they do at home games.

News 8 stopped by Franklin Central High School’s home game Friday night against Brownsburg. Parents said they’re behavior doesn’t change from game to game.

Parent Nikki Mucci said, “Everybody’s been following the rules. I mean everybody that I have seen. Even the kids here at Franklin Central, they’re on top of it. I feel like they’re more mature than I’ve ever seen in my life.”

She believes canceling the season would be a terrible idea.

“We’ve already gotten a lot of things taken away from our kids,” Mucci said.

Parent Alicia Khemir agrees. She thinks cancelling the season would be a letdown for students.

“I think this is the most active I have ever seen my daughter so, if they canceled it, I would be really sad,” Khemir said.

Caine said the Marion County Public Health Department has good relationships with surrounding county’s health departments, so if people are breaking rules, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find out.

Caine didn’t go into detail about the number of violations from football games reported so far or what it would take to cancel the season.