LHSAA postpones summer activities until June 8th

High school sports will stay on hold for another three weeks, that according the LHSAA.
On Wednesday, the LHSAA Executive committee held a Zoom meeting to receive updates and discuss logistics surrounding the summer rules encased within the LHSAA by-laws.
After hearing updates from the LHSAA Liaison to the Louisiana Department of Education, the Director for the Louisiana High School Coaches Association, the Director for the Louisiana High School Officials Association and looking at information provided by the Louisiana K-12 supportive guidance, the committee unanimously voted to postpone the first day of permissive summer rules to June 8th in all sports in all member schools.
As stated, the vote was based on a number of pieces of information, one of which is the hope that the governor will issue a Phase II proclamation on June 5th.
As of Friday, the Governor put Louisiana into Phase I of the White House’s Proposed Phases Of Reopening.
Stated in the Louisiana K-12 Supportive Guidance and by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Phase I group sizes cannot exceed 10 people, including adults and there are no contact sports allowed. Those listed as contact sports include basketball, football, soccer and wrestling.
If and when Phase II has been proclaimed, those numbers will increase to 25 per group, including adults.
LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine re-iterated a previous released statement, saying “the primary concern of the LHSAA is the safety and well-being of all student athletes, coaches and anyone else who may be involved with the summer programs.”
Bonine also stated that another important concern was the potential inconsistency in the implementation within the membership from public schools and private schools, parish by parish.
So, what does this all mean for Evangeline Parish athletic programs?
In a conversation with Evangeline Parish Superintendent Darwin Lazard, the key words spoken were “wait and see”.
“Everyone is anxious to get back to pre-pandemic, including myself,” stated Lazard. “But, it is important to get it right. As of now, I have been advised by legal counsel to wait for the guidelines that will be set forth in the Governor’s proclamation. We have to comply with the guidelines in order to protect the interest of the system.”
“As soon as we can do it safely, I am all for moving forward,” Lazard continued. “It all depends on the powers that be. The State Fire Marshall is hinting on issues with occupancy. There are implications not only for sports, but also for personnel. We don’t want to project that schools are not safe.”
For now, as it has been over the past two months, it looks like it will be a wait and see game as to when athletes across the state will be able to get back on campus. However, the more the clock ticks, the less time that sports, especially football, will have the opportunity to be prepared for their season openers.