We have been working with Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) to ensure that FRC teams can meet.  Please read this statement from Amy Doherty, Assistant Director with responsibility for the robotics program.

MSHSL Guidance for Minnesota Robotics Teams

The MSHSL does not oversee any part of the FRC season until our mid-May partnership with FIRST in the Upper Midwest for the MSHSL State Tournament. Participation is under the jurisdiction of FIRST. However, we would expect that all teams would be following local district policies in alignment with Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Department of Health. Safety for participants, mentors and advisors should be the top priority when planning meetings and practices.

I have been impressed with the COVID safety documents that are being shared by Minnesota FRC teams. Each team should have plans in place, and we encourage you to continue to share with others.

Covid-19 introduces many challenges for teams.  Before meeting in person, we recommend everyone read Frank’s Blog concerning meeting safely, and the associated guidance FIRST has provided.

For teams in the FUM region, the following local resources may be useful in developing your own Covid-19 meeting plans.  Your local city/county may have additional resources available as well.

Each team’s plan will be different, in order to accommodate the team’s situation.  Please consider how things like the number of team members, size of your build space, meeting time and location, or sponsoring/hosting organization rules will impact your plans, in addition to the resources linked above.

At the end of August, FUM surveyed teams to see how they were handling Covid-19.  An overview of the results can be seen here. Many of the teams indicated that their safety plan will follow their school’s safety plan, perhaps with some adaptation specific to their team and workspace. We reached out to some of the teams that replied to ask that they share their plans here.  These can be used to help you model your own plans, but no single plan will work for every team! Also, consult with your school administration to be sure you are complying with any safety plan they have in place.

Additional resources for developing your own safety plan, including a template that can help you walk through different options, are available from the Compass Alliance and for the FIRST Hall of Fame Teams.

Charles Nepomuceno, a senior mechanical engineer for Ecolab, Lead Mentor for FRC 3100-Lightning Turtles, St. Paul, and FIRST Technical Advisor (FTA) has provided some simple guidelines for cleaning tools and equipment.

Tools Electronics Cleaning Recommendations CN Sept 2020