MIAMI – The Florida High School Athletic Association says it’s game on for high school sports in the state, but what that means for Broward and Miami-Dade counties remains still somewhat unclear.
The state’s athletic association voted Friday to allow practices for fall sports to begin Aug. 24 — just one week from Monday. That would mean games could kick off on Sept. 4 and the season would stay pretty close to what was already scheduled.
However, South Florida schools don’t plan to start sports that soon, as the region’s COVID-19 numbers have been higher than elsewhere in the state, and schools in Miami-Dade and Broward are opening virtually.
After the FHSAA’s decision, Broward County Public Schools released a statement saying:
“The vote by the FHSAA does not change Broward County Public Schools’ current status. The District will continue to follow the advice of our medical experts and only resume athletics once it is safe for our students and staff to do so. Based on COVID-19 data, Broward, along with a number of other areas in the state — including Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties — is not in a position to resume athletics at this time. We will be formulating a plan of action with our neighboring counties to conduct athletics for the 2020/21 school year. The District will provide a modified start for fall sports to ensure that our students have the opportunity to participate in fall sports and continue to provide community updates as the issue progresses.”
Miami-Dade County even voted to pursue pulling out of the FHSAA a couple days ago, since they feel like they could be left out of the state championships if they have to start later than what was mandated.