VHSL clarifies guidance pertaining to non-instructional activities
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On Thursday, August 5, 2021, Governor Northam reminded Virginia’s public schools that Virginia law (Bill Tracking – 2021 session > Legislation (virginia.gov)) requires school boards to implement in-person instruction in the 2021-2022 school year in a manner that adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any applicable federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance (Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools | CDC).
VHSL staff has consulted with the Virginia Department of Education and VHSL Legal Counsel to determine the extent to which this law applies to VHSL activities. This law addresses explicitly “in-person instruction” under the purview of local school boards, and therefore does not apply to extracurricular activities or other non-instructional activities on school grounds. School Boards are not bound by law to follow CDC guidelines for non-instructional activities.
Each local school board will adopt safety protocols for extracurricular activities – athletes, coaches, and spectators.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:31 pm
I pray that for the benefit of the children the VHSL will follow the recommendations of the CDC.
August 12, 2021 @ 2:15 pm
I hope the VHSL keeps a cool head and relies upon actual facts and statistics to guide them toward logical and practical decisions, as opposed to joining the stampede of panic and fear being stoked by the government and it’s marketing arm, the media. Thankfully, and for some reason medical science still cannot explain, healthy children rarely get seriously ill from COVID, and virtually never die from it. There is 18 months of proof of that. A child riding in a car on I 81 to go to the game is at greater risk, yet we accept that risk. The thought process of many folks confounds me.