Governor Prefers That HS Sports Continue, Status Still Uncertain

Governor Abbott has gone on record in stating that it is his preference that High School sports continue this fall but realizes that there is still a very real possibility of that not happening.

Complicating matters for El Paso families who are waiting to see if they’ll be able to cheer on their student athletes come September, is the current health order which states that children cannot return to school until September 8 at the earliest.  This order also prevents sports practices from happening until after Labor Day.  With the high school football season is set to begin on August 27, it’s apparent that that these timelines overlap.

At minimum, it looks like start of high school sports in El Paso will need to be pushed back by at least six weeks.  In Texas, UIL is still allowing for practices to begin on August 3, but the health order in effect here locally, as well as other similar orders for a few other state school districts supersede UIL’s timeline.

UIL is set to provide “more definitive guidance” on the upcoming sports seasons later this month, but there is no guarantee that all the questions and concerns will be adequately addressed.  The only consensus is that there needs to me a marked improvement with the pandemic situation in a short amount of time before that status of high school sports can be given with any amount of confidence.