By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The first steps to resume Kentucky high school sports amid the coronavirus pandemic were taken Thursday when the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control voted to allow team meetings, workouts and practice sessions with some restrictions.
On Friday, the KHSAA posted a complete review of the new policies and procedures on the khsaa.org website.
The process begins June 1-14 with teams getting permission to hold organizational meetings of 10 people or less providing there’s no athletic activity.
Teams can begin training workouts June 15 providing they adhere to state imposed guidelines that limit groups to no more than 10 athletes and observe social distancing practices.
On June 29, fall sports teams can begin conducting practice sessions that are limited to 50 people divided into groups of 10 athletes and one coach.
Football, soccer, volleyball and field hockey are “high touch sports” that must conduct group practice sessions without scrimmages or other game-like drills. Golf and cross country are “low-touch sports” and have no additional restrictions.
All sports activities must be approved by a school’s local board of education in consultation with the local health department. Social distancing and preventive hygiene measures should be observed based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the governor’s office.
The Board of Control also voted to suspend this year’s summer dead period for high school sports activities that was scheduled June 25 to July 9. How high school sports will be conducted beyond those dates will be determined in accordance with future guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the governor’s office.
There have been no high school sports in Kentucky since March 12 when the the KHSSA announced that the remaining games of the girls state basketball tournament and the boys state tournament were being postponed due to mounting concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
On April 21, both of those state tournaments were officially cancelled along with the entire spring sports season in Kentucky. Schools across the state remained closed for the remainder of the academic year.
