[Farm93]

How do you mean “we’ll never be able to certify swimming as a safe sport”?  Why would it be any less safe than, say, track?

BC

BC definitely yes...less safe than track.
A typical HS track team trains on a 400M oval.   That typical HS might have 100 athletes, and most don't even need to train on the actual track or even at the school at all.   Those long training courses on city streets are ideal for physical distancing.
A typical HS swim team trains in a 25yd pool, in some states that pool is an indoor pool.   And every athlete on the team is in the same rather small pool.   

It doesn't really matter though.

Most public schools in the USA are going to see massive budget cuts as most states have blown massive holes in their budgets buying PPE and ventilators.   The schools will have to reconfigure classrooms and lunchrooms.   At the same time they will get less money from their states.  A lot of non-essentials will need to get cut from the budget.  Contact sports will all have a tough time complying with new distance rules.  So they seem like very easy targets.

My guess is a number of school districts in CA were just looking for excuses to stop fielding football teams already. 
Football participation is way down.
Football insurance costs are higher than ever, especially on a per player basis.
For a school district with budget issues and COVID19 concerns it will be super easy to bundle all of that together and opt out at least for 2020 & 2021. 

And after two years there will just be a number of schools that do not offer football, just like there are a number of colleges and universities that don't field teams.

[Farm93]

How do you mean “we’ll never be able to certify swimming as a safe sport”?  Why would it be any less safe than, say, track?

BC

BC definitely yes...less safe than track.
A typical HS track team trains on a 400M oval.   That typical HS might have 100 athletes, and most don't even need to train on the actual track or even at the school at all.   Those long training courses on city streets are ideal for physical distancing.
A typical HS swim team trains in a 25yd pool, in some states that pool is an indoor pool.   And every athlete on the team is in the same rather small pool.   

It doesn't really matter though.

Most public schools in the USA are going to see massive budget cuts as most states have blown massive holes in their budgets buying PPE and ventilators.   The schools will have to reconfigure classrooms and lunchrooms.   At the same time they will get less money from their states.  A lot of non-essentials will need to get cut from the budget.  Contact sports will all have a tough time complying with new distance rules.  So they seem like very easy targets.

My guess is a number of school districts in CA were just looking for excuses to stop fielding football teams already. 
Football participation is way down.
Football insurance costs are higher than ever, especially on a per player basis.
For a school district with budget issues and COVID19 concerns it will be super easy to bundle all of that together and opt out at least for 2020 & 2021. 

And after two years there will just be a number of schools that do not offer football, just like there are a number of colleges and universities that don't field teams.