A plan to bring student-athletes back for voluntary summer workouts in Palmerton Area School District will remain on the shelf for at least another week.

Palmerton’s board of directors on Tuesday unanimously voted to table a PIAA resocialization plan with many board members expressing concern about potential liability.

“The purpose is to lay a foundation on how we proceed,” Palmerton athletic director Kyle Porembo said. “This document will only become more refined as we go forward. This is the initial step in bringing athletes back on campus. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s worth it. I feel as though we owe it to the kids. They are chomping at the bit to get out there.”

Each district must develop an athletics health and safety plan, which must be board approved.

After state guidelines came out around noon on Wednesday, Porembo spent the remainder of the day working on a plan. On Thursday, he consulted with Palmerton’s team doctor, administrators, coaches and athletic trainers. He attended a session on Friday at Northern Lehigh High School to hear how their plan was developing.

Student-athletes would go through a pre-screening process before any voluntary workouts would begin. Part of that includes answering a series of questions on any potential symptoms. Anyone who did not pass the screening would not be allowed to participate that day and would be referred to a family doctor.

“That student would need to come back with a written clearance that says my symptoms were not related to COVID-19 to start participation again,” said Shelby Hoppis, a lead athletic trainer for St. Luke’s. “If there is a positive test, that particular group would need to be shut down for 14 days.”

Athletes’ temperatures will also be taken before each workout.

“We will err on the side of caution,” Porembo said. “I continue to stress with coaches, we have one shot at this and we really have to do a good job. If a kid gets sent home because he has a cough and he is misdiagnosed in that aspect, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Director Earl Paules said he won’t support anything that leaves the district at risk of a lawsuit.

“The district can be sued at anytime and nobody can stop that,” Shawn Lochinger, Palmerton’s attorney, said. “I think the best defense is to follow the rules set forth here and listen to what the state says. There is no precedent out there yet in the courts for this type of situation, but if you do those things, I think you’d have a strong case.”

Board members Audrey Larvey and Doris Zellers both said Tuesday night the document as it is written was not specific enough for their liking.

“The language is too wishy-washy,” Larvey said. “Everything is recommended, but it needs to say students and coaches must be doing this or must be doing that. There is nothing absolute right now.”

Zellers said she still has reservations about allowing athletes to share footballs or basketballs over potential spread of the disease.

“At some point, you have to turn the page and start prepping for those types of things,” Porembo said. “A football team is going to have a football and a volleyball team is going to have a volleyball. The biggest thing right now is we need to start the education piece.”

On Wednesday, a Pennsylvania School Boards Association task force is expected to release a report, which Palmerton board President Kathy Fallow said she would like to read before voting on the district’s plan.

“We know the kids want to get out there, but there is additional guidance coming out,” Fallow said. “It is an extensive research document by 30 or 40 people across the state. My fear is if the board approves this tonight a lot of parents would assume that we are now approving fall sports, winter sports and spring sports. We are definitely not.”

The state is expected to release more guidance when it comes to resuming actual competition in the fall.

“What this does is try to get students back to some type of normalcy in the athletic arena,” Dr. Al Lonoconus, interim superintendent, said. “I guarantee right now in at least a few districts, there are practices going on right now off the grid and none of the guidelines in this plan are taking place. We’re making a great attempt to control this and make it better for student-athletes so they are being monitored.”

Palmerton scheduled a meeting for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday where it again expects to take up the resocialization plan.