By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Starting dates for Kentucky high school fall sports will be the main topic of discussion at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control virtual meeting set for 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most fall sports teams have been limited to preseason conditioning workouts and small-group drills in accordance with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for youth sports that were adopted by the governor.
Earlier this month, high school golf teams got the go-ahead to start competition on July 31 because it’s a non-contact sport where social distancing is not a problem. The current starting dates for other sports are Aug. 10 for soccer, Aug. 17 for volleyball, cross country and field hockey and Aug. 21 for football.
The Board of Control will decide if those starting dates will remain. But the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Kentucky has been on the rise, including more than three dozen cases tied to the Hazard High School football team. Eighteen of those 38 cases were students.
Earlier this week, the Diocese of Covington released a document that provided its schools with procedures for returning to in-person instruction. The document said all elementary school athletic activities were suspended until further notice and high school sports would adhere to KHSAA guidelines.
Local county and city school systems that are also waiting for the KHSAA Board of Control to set guidelines and announce starting dates for high school fall sports can monitor Tuesday’s virtual meeting on the KHSAA YouTube channel.
