Esko fans have screen option

High school sports may not look exactly like normal this year, but at least athletes are back on the fields and courts. With family members and friends allowed a limited number of tickets to attend events, where does this leave loyal fans? The Esko school board has a solution — use a streaming service to bring athletics and the arts into the homes of their numerous fans and community members.

This plan to stream events is just one of the many things that the Esko school district has done this year to handle the issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Depending on the plan selected by the school, viewers will pay a certain fee to watch events. Superintendent Aaron Fischer explained at the Tuesday night board meeting that the school will select a package that provides complete streaming for fans.

There are a number of packages for the school to choose from, including some plans that allow the school to decide on the “gate fee” charged as opposed to the rates set by the provider.

The school will select the best option for the community, Fischer said.

Beyond this, the school may call on volunteers to assist with filming and audio for the athletic and performing arts events that are streamed. At present, this will include soccer, football and volleyball for fall athletic events, as well the arts-based events set to take place going forward.

School board members voted to move forward with selecting a streaming service that will cost no more than $3,000 for one year, depending on how things play out in the coming months with the coronavirus.

An adjustment to the Monday early-release time was discussed and approvals made on some school policies and plans. The board voted to change the release time on Mondays to 12:15 p.m. to provide staff with more time in their day. “The teachers would still be working with kids. There would be distance learning kids, quarantined and isolated kids they would be working with, as well as flipped class lessons,” Fischer said. This change in the schedule will begin on Monday, Oct. 26.