Photo courtesy of woodrowwildcats.org

Athletic conditioning and other University Interscholastic League activities can resume Tuesday with a phased-in approach, Dallas ISD officials said.

Superintendent Michal Hinojosa previously banned participation in extracurricular activities at a news conference in which he announced that students would begin the first four weeks of school online. The next week, he hinted that there might be hope for sports this fall as coronavirus cases in Dallas County continue to decline.

Permission to start extracurricular activities came after Dallas County downgraded its COVID-19 risk level from red to orange.

The schedule for the athletic restart is:
  • Sept. 8 – Varsity only for the following sports: cross country, football, golf, swimming, team tennis and volleyball.
  • Sept. 14 – Ninth grade and junior varsity for the following sports: cross country, football, golf, swimming, team tennis and volleyball.
  • Sept. 21 – Marching band, drill team and cheerleading.

Plans for the restart call for all athletic activities to take place outdoors.

Schools must implement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health and safety protocols, which include small-group instruction to minimize the number of student-athletes on campus at a given time.

District officials will monitor athletic activities. If confirmed cases of COVID-19 are detected, “appropriate actions,” which were not specified, will be taken to protect students and staff.