Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sued Over Coronavirus Policy

February 25, 2021

A Kentucky parent has filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky High School Athletic Association over a policy on when student athletes can return to competition after testing positive for COVID-19.

Jon Kelly Johnson, a dentist from Mount Sterling, filed the lawsuit Friday in Montgomery Circuit Court saying the policy has the potential to negatively affect his 16-year-old son’s prospects for college scholarships if he gets the virus, news outlets reported.

His attorney, Trip Redford, is asking a judge to grant a temporary injunction that would prevent the athletic association from enforcing the policy, which calls for athletes who test positive to isolate and then gradually increase physical activity while being watched for symptoms. It also recommends an evaluation by a doctor. Student athletes could be out of competition for up to 21 days.

“Our lawsuit is not that there shouldn’t be some sort of protocol in place. Our lawsuit is that this is excessive to the point where it’s arbitrary,” Redford said.

Athletic association Commissioner Julian Tackett said the policy is based on recommendations from a Kentucky Medical Association sports subcommittee and “designed to ensure that the student athletes, regardless of how mild their symptoms might have been, have no heart damage.”