All NC High School Sports Delayed Until At Least Sept. 1

NORTH CAROLINA — High School football and all fall sports will be pushed back until at least Sept. 1 throughout the state, North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday.

The news comes one day after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a delay in going forward with the state's reopening plan. North Carolina will remain under the modified Phase 2 executive order, which was to expire July 17, for another three weeks. Among the restrictions, residents are encouraged to stay at home, limit gathers to no more than 10 indoors or 25 outdoors.

Cooper also addressed Tuesday the long awaited question about how schools will resume next month, saying schools will reopen next month for in-person instruction with implemented safety protocols while also offering families the option for remote learning.

In addition to delaying the start of fall sports in the 2020-2021 school year, the NCHSAA Board of Directors also said the first five days for students would be a "dead period" for all sports in order to focus on the start of school and that the organization's "Phase One" summer conditioning and workouts would continue until further notice.

“For now, we believe these steps provide hope for our student-athletes, and the possibility for playing fall sports," Que Tucker, NCHSAA commissioner, said in a statement.

"Please understand this delayed start date is not 'in cement' and can be delayed even further if we do not have improved data from DHHS, or some other reason exists for delaying further into September or beyond," Tucker said.

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• NC Schools To Reopen, Offer Choice For Online Learning: Cooper