Houston ISD to keep sports sidelined for first six weeks
Houston ISD will not allow practices or games when it starts the 2020-21 school year with an onlineonly curriculum, interim superintendent Grenita Lathan said Wednesday in detailing the district’s plan for reopening in the fall.
The state’s largest school district is starting the first six weeks of the year online and hopes to phase into in-person instruction by Oct. 19, but the date could change based on county and state health recommendations. The district will give families the option to remain in online learning or return to in-person instruction.
It leaves 24 HISD high schools that compete in the University Interscholastic League in limbo. HISD schools compete in three classifications from 6A to 4A, including the allHISD District 18-6A.
Fort Bend ISD, the Houston area’s fourth-largest district, announced it will start the school year online as well and there will be no extracurricular activities while the district is online. A return date for athletics in the district is unknown.
The UIL is expected to make an announcement concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its fall sports calendar within the next week.
Before Lathan’s press conference, HISD’s policy was to continue to schedule games for the fall as part of the district’s outline for reopening.
The UIL said last week that students who choose virtual learning will be eligible for athletics and other extracurricular activities.
Fall football practice is scheduled to begin Aug. 3, and the volleyball season starts Aug. 10.