With Gov. Laura Kelly announcing classroom doors will remain shut until after Labor Day, the Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) has decided to push back their plan for the fall sports season.
Originally KSHSAA planned to release a timeline of events on how sports would return this Friday. But with a school delay, and the first Friday night football game scheduled for before Labor Day on Sept 4th, a new plan is needed.
KSHSSA released this statement via Twitter on Wednesday night regarding the fall sports season.
“The KSHSAA believes participation in school and school activities is critical for the students of Kansas and we strive to provide those opportunities for students this fall. This Friday (7/17) the KSHSAA had planned to distribute considerations and guidance for all fallactivities to take place starting August 17. With the announcement today (7/15) from Governor Kelly, we will not release any information Friday. Rather we will go back and look at models and plans that are in place with a delayed start and release inform.”
KSHSAA is vying for a fall sports season, but other high school sports governing bodies around the country have already canceled the fall football season, or moved to another season.
In Virginia, the Virginia High School League has canceled the fall football season, and is considering three separate models on how to carry fall activities.
One model from the VHSL removes contact sports including football and volleyball, and leaves cross country along with golf— two lesser contact sports — still in the fall. The second model switches the fall and spring season, while the third lets the seasons be as is and play the games that can be played.
Virginia has significantly more cases of COVID-19 at 73,527, versus Kansas’ 21,119.
A state more similar in population size to Kansas, New Mexico, has already decided to cancel their fall football season. The New Mexico Athletics Association announced football practice would begin in February with a shortened playoffs. New Mexico has 15,841 cases of COVID-19.
