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 The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools COVID-19 “Back to School” Athletics Committee has decided to delay the start of voluntary workouts for fall high school sports. Voluntary, outdoor workouts, with limited participation and no use of equipment were scheduled to begin Monday, July 6. Out of extreme caution, the district is delaying the start to those workouts until July 20.

The Athletics Committee — which is made up of high school coaches, principals, district leaders and area medical professionals — based the recommendation on several factors including:

• Forsyth County leads the Triad in the number of COVID-19 cases
• The district hopes to avoid any start, stop and re-start scenarios for athletes
• The district is making every effort to ensure the safety of students, staff and the community.

As always, WS/FCS will continue to follow the guidance of the public health officials to protect the health and safety of our students and staff.

If workouts are able to proceed on July 20, all athletic personnel will follow guidelines set forth by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and local health officials.

Additionally, the NCHSAA has eliminated the second dead period week of July 20-26. Schools and coaches are reminded, per NCHSAA policy, participation in summer activities must be voluntary and cannot be required or as a prerequisite for making a team. Schools will respect all family vacations that were already planned for this dead period week.

Please note that the July 20 date is subject to change if state and local directives continue to deem it necessary. A decision on start dates for winter, spring and middle school sports has not been made.

The WS/FCS Athletics Committee is one of the many areas the district’s “Back to School” committees are focused on as critical decisions are made about how students will return safely to school this coming school year.