An Open Letter from School Superintendents
to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors and Interim Executive
Director Bob Goldring
August 17, 2020
We are collectively asking the Ohio High School Athletic Association to allow school districts who
deem it to be best for the welfare of their students to move selected 2020 fall sports to the spring.
Even though many school districts are moving to an online instructional format only, OHSAA
continues to move forward with the start of fall sports. Contact sports are limited to practice-only
status while noncontact sports are permitted to conduct interschool (school v. school) competition.
OHSAA has announced that fall contact sports will transition to a condensed schedule if interschool
(school v. school) competition is not permitted by September 4, 2020.
The OHSAA’s current approach presents overwhelming challenges for all school districts. This is
especially true for those in an online instructional format only based on recommendations from
local health agencies. The end result, of course, is the inequitable treatment of our student-athletes.
We acknowledge the health considerations underlying OHSAA’s approach; however, we collectively
believe there is a better approach that is more inclusive and will better serve the needs of all studentathletes during these trying times.
Move Fall Sports to the Spring
Moving the fall sports season to the spring will:
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Offer a safer environment for student-athletes and coaches
Allow all of our student-athletes to be treated equally without regard to their sport or the
county in which their school is located
Provide a better opportunity for our student-athletes to enjoy a full interscholastic sports
experience
Minimize the risk of outbreak during the fall that could further delay a school’s ability to open
for in-person instruction
Afford student-athletes and their parents safe and dependable athletic programming
Avoid placing an undue burden on school districts to justify conducting fall sports when
instructional activities are occurring only online

Moving selected fall sports to the spring will best serve these interests of schools, student-athletes,
and parents. The OHSAA’s current approach is inequitable, impractical and a disservice to the schools
and students it serves. We therefore ask that the OHSAA Board of Directors and its Interim Executive
Director Bob Goldring immediately reconsider their position on this matter and issue an amendment
to its Bylaws or other order to allow districts to move selected fall sports to the spring if they deem it
best for their student-athletes.