Minnesota High School Football, Volleyball Seasons Delayed

MINNESOTA — The Minnesota State High School League Tuesday announced its decision to delay the statewide volleyball and football seasons until the spring. The move was voted on by the MSHSL "Return to Participation" task force, which took Gov. Tim Walz's latest executive order related to schools into consideration.

While football and volleyball will move to the spring, the task force voted to keep girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, girls swimming and diving, and boys and girls soccer to start Aug. 17.

The task force says it has used the following guiding principles in exploring options in a return to sports:

• Prioritize the health and safety for all to the greatest extent possible
• Align return to participation options with the requirements and recommendations of state organizations and agencies focused on safety and return to learn models
• Provide an opportunity for education-based participation in each sport and activity
• Demonstrate equity and fairness in preparation of programming options
• Acknowledge financial implications
• Apply guidelines consistently

Minnesota's plans for "back to school"

Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health Thursday released parameters they want schools to meet before fully reopening in the fall. The recommended model of education — distance learning, hybrid, or in-person — depends on how many coronavirus cases are reported in the county.

Recommendations are made based on the number of cases by county over 14 days per 10,000 people.

For example, the case rate for Washington County from July 5 to July 18 shows a 14.84 case rate. That means in-person learning for elementary students and hybrid learning for secondary students is recommended for Washington County schools.

Read more: Which Minnesota Schools Are Encouraged To Stay Closed?