skip navigation

Governor's order closes schools and extracurriculars for remainder of academic year as WIAA considers options going forward

04/16/2020, 2:45pm CDT
By WSN

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers extended the state's Safer-At-Home order on Thursday through May 26th, also announcing that all K-12 public and private schools will remain closed through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

Governor Evers' order specifically states that high school sports are part of this closure as well, with the order reading, "All schools must remain closed for instructional and extracurricular activities."

While this would seem to indicate the WIAA spring sports seasons will not be held, the Association put out a statement Thursday afternoon that they are not ready to make an official cancelation announcement quite yet, waiting to review options at next Tuesday's Board of Control meeting.

The statement reads:

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control will discuss the membership’s options for the remainder of the spring sports seasons and for summertime regulations at its scheduled meeting on April 21 via video conferencing.

Gov. Tony Evers extended the state’s Stay at Home order until May 26, 2020, and ordered all public and private K-12 schools to remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year in an announcement made today.

In accordance with Gov. Evers’ new directive, all interscholastic training, practices, scrimmages and contests remain suspended. The WIAA postponed all athletic participation following an executive order issued by the governor on Friday, March 13 that closed all public and private schools on March 18.

The Executive Staff has discussed the best and worst case scenarios with the possibility schools may close for the remainder of the school year. Those will be reviewed with guidance from the Board of Control to determine the best course of action.

Last week, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it extended the cancellation of campus events through June 30, 2020, which eliminates the possibility of conducting the WIAA State Tournaments scheduled at campus venues this spring. Those events impacted were Boys Individual and Team Tennis Tournaments scheduled at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on June 4-6 and June 12-13, respectively; the State Boys Golf Championship at University Ridge on June 15-16; and the State Softball Tournament at Goodman Diamond on June 11-13.

The Stay at Home order and the closure of schools are in response to the information available regarding COVID-19 and efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 46 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors State Championship Tournament Series for boys and girls.

Recent News

Tag(s): News  News Archive  BBB News  GBB News  News  News  News  News  Boys Track News  Girls Track News  News  News  Travis Wilson  WIAA  News  COVID-19