Hildalgo County’s Local Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez issued an order on Tuesday stating all public and private schools (pre-k through 12th grade) will not re-open for in-campus instruction until after September 27th. This decision is made due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the steady increase in infections across the state. Hildalgo County released the full statement on Twitter Tuesday evening:
Due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ivan Melendez, in his capacity as Hidalgo County Local Health Authority, issued an order that all public and private schools, from grades pre-kindergarten through grade 12, will not re-open for in-campus instruction until after Sept 27, 2020. pic.twitter.com/XpQQziBQnP
— Hidalgo County (@HidalgoCounty) July 15, 2020
With so many questions circling about whether or not we will see a football season in 2020, we are seeing schools doing very different things. Some school districts have just begun their strength and conditioning workouts, some have delayed them, some have delayed them for the second or third time this summer already, and some— like Hildalgo— are suspending sports for the time being all together.
No on-campus instruction, there will be no sports— to include football— until after September 27th at the earliest. This order would affect McAllen, Edcouch, La Joya, Weslaco, Edinburg, Mission, and more.
The football teams all located in the county wouldn’t be able to begin playing until mid-October. This would give their teams roughly a five or six week season as opposed to the regular 10 game, 11-week seasons.
Should we see a Texas high school football season despite coronavirus, it’s important to take a look at the districts that will be affected by the schools with suspended schedules. Would there need to be a redrawing of district lines? Would playoffs essentially be canceled? Many questions remain unanswered as the 100th season of UIL football inches closer and closer.
