Storm causing trouble for local schools as it keeps students inside and delays athletic events

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students at Baird Middle School stretch their legs and play a game inside the gym-- escaping from the cold, rainy weather outside. If there's a break in the wet weather some of the kids head to the blacktop to play sports, but don't take to the grass.

The adjustment is one of many school officials make when the forecast shows rain.

"Therefore you get a game on there with kids with cleats on, tears up the fields and then the field is unusable for, you know, a number of weeks versus staying off it for a day or two," said Brett Mar, Athletic Manager for Fresno Unified School District.

Many sports practices and games have also been sidelined.

Students returned back from winter break this week with Fresno Unified holding baseball tryouts. Monday, though, standing water, soggy grass, and mud out on the baseball diamond forced the event inside.

Soccer has also been canceled at a number of Fresno Unified schools.

"Elementary school will have basketball starting here, and basketball, of course, outside at our elementary schools on the blacktop. So if it's a little bit wet outside no choice but to cancel practice for that day," said Mar.

School leaders are then left to improvise. At Wolters Elementary School-- rain might mean singing songs in the cafeteria with kindergartners or playing a movie.

School officials said any break in the weather they still try to get the kids outside and running around.

"If we can we let them go out a little bit to go to the bathroom and then bring them back in and they get some of that energy out," said Thomas Fuentes, Vice Principal of Wolters Elementary.

The conditions vary at each school site and officials said McLane's fields did not have any standing water but the ground was too saturated to play on.

School leaders are trying to make decisions one day at a time depending on how the weather changes.