HONOLULU — The state Department of Education extracurricular and co-curricular activities are scheduled to begin in-person practices Aug. 19.
All programming will be required to adhere to state and county declarations and follow health and safety protocols in the DOE’s Return to Learn plan.
The date is subject to change as DOE continues to monitor the situation and guidance issued by health and government officials.
The start date aligns with the DOE’s directive to schools to focus the first two weeks of the new school year on three priorities: assessing student learning needs, testing and adjusting school-safety protocols.
The HHSAA will conduct employee training and prepare for classroom and virtual instruction.
As of the latest written statement provided to The Garden Island by Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation Executive Director Brent Mizutani, the HHSAA is still classifying risk levels for sports.
“As of now, the conversations about the classifications of low-, medium- and high-risk sports are not finalized,” Mizutani said in a written statement to the TGI. “We hope to have more answers soon.”
Extracurricular and co-curricular activities include, but are not limited to, athletics, band, academic competitions and clubs. Specific examples include the fall sports of football, cheerleading, cross country, air riflery, girls volleyball and bowling.
Other non-contact activities include speech and debate team in-person meetings, marching-band practice, drama club rehearsals and staff professional development.
The emphasis is on student safety.
“We recognize the importance of extracurricular activities when it comes to our students’ overall educational experience,” said DOE Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto said.
“We will continue to work closely with medical and health officials to evaluate our processes and procedures as this pandemic evolves.”
