Moses Lake High School and Ephrata High School anticipate starting unified soccer next month.

Ephrata Athletic Director Bryan Johnson said he hopes to kick off practice for their team on April 6.

“We’ll align it with other spring sports and try and get at least a few games in and get the kids out practicing,” Johnson said.

Johnson said they will follow all the same masking and social distancing guidelines other teams are following, with some added precautions given the health concerns of special needs students.

He said they will ask all participants check with their doctors about any preexisting conditions to make sure they are safe to participate. Johnson said he’s aware some students might not be able to play this season, but hopes to give as many as possible the opportunity.

Special Olympics typically helps coordinate schedules and events for the unified programs, but has elected to not host any in-person events this year. Without that involvement, Johnson said they were told they could still set up some local games with schools that elected to participate.

So far, he said MLHS is the only other school discussing starting a program.

MLHS Athletic Director Loren Sandhop said they’re hoping to start after spring break, but will need some time.

“We may be the only two schools that are doing it this spring, so we’ve got some extra clearance that we need to take care of,” Sandhop said.

Sandhop said players will need to have the same physicals and registrations as other athletes. He said they want to be sure participants can handle the stress of exerting energy and running around with a mask on.

MLHS unified sports coach Ryan Hadfield said the big push is to get a soccer season in this year, while basketball looks like it’s going to be tough to pull off. With soccer, he said they have a little bit more space to spread the kids out.

Hadfield said he’s watched the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association closely to see how it’s handling traditional sports. If traditional sports aren’t moving forward, he said unified sports certainly won’t either.

Jodi Truman, a special education teacher with MLHS, is going into her fourth year as an assistant coach with MLHS unified sports. Her daughter Kailee Truman has Down syndrome and is a “super senior” in her sixth year, set to graduate this spring.

Truman said her daughter has played unified sports every year since coming to the high school and not having those games to look forward to has taken a toll on her.

“It’s been really hard on all of the kids, that lack of social interaction, and Kailee is a very active young lady,” Truman said.

She said one of the greatest things about unified sports is the unity it brings within the school community. Truman said it’s not just the special needs students participating, it’s the general student population alongside them.

Those friendships and bonds can make a huge difference for someone like Kailee, even if it’s just one of her teammates saying hi in the hallway. She said it helps build the environment of inclusion they strive for.

“Now Kailee has a whole new set of friends because that’s how Kailee operates,” Truman said. “She’s very social, so once you accept her, she’s your friend forever.”

While Truman said Kailee has opportunities in events like unified sports through Special Olympics even after she graduates, there is something special about participating with other people from her community.

“Right now, her school is her community and that’s why it’s so important,” Truman said.