High School sports in the state of Kansas will not start on time this fall after Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she will sign an executive order to delay opening schools around the state until after Labor Day.
“The executive order will apply to all K-12 activities or academics,” Kelly said during a Wednesday news conference. “Kansas State High School Activities oversees sports, theater, drama, debate, all those kinds of things. So, yeah, sports will be included in that.”
The first week of the regular season for high school football was suppose to be September 3rd, but now teams won't be able to practice or play until after Labor Day on September 7th. The first sports to begin play were suppose to be girls golf and tennis as they were schedule to begin competitions on August 21st.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association released the following state on Wednesday evening:
“The KSHSAA believes participation in school and school activities is critical for the students of Kansas, and we strive to provide those opportunities for students this fall. This Friday (July 17), the KSHSAA had planned to distribute considerations and guidance for all fall activities to take place starting Aug. 17. With the announcement today (July 15) from Gov. Kelly, we will not release any information Friday. Rather, we will go back and look at models and plans that are in place with a delayed start and release information when appropriate.”