Colorado high-school sports association lifts moratorium on coach-player contact effective June 1

The Colorado High School Athletics and Activities Association announced on Friday it’s lifting the moratorium against in-person condition sessions between coaches and high school participants beginning June 1.

The association stipulated after that date that decisions regarding athletics and activities through the summer months will be made at the local school district level. Statewide administrative oversight for athletics and activities will resume when camps, clinics and fall sports practice dates are projected to begin.

“This isn’t recreational park play or a free-for-all, our schools will face some challenges, no different than professional and collegiate sports to resume any level of student participation,” said commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green in a statement.

Blanford-Green provided schools with suggested recommendations in an email sent on Tuesday, which referenced national, state and health guidelines to assist the membership with resuming activities and athletics while prioritizing safety standards and protocols.

“Our students, coaches, schools and the Association are ready to resocialize back to participation,” Blanford-Green said in the statement. “The importance of returning to education-based athletics and activities reaches beyond a contest or a perceived scholarship. It is about reconnecting our students — socially, emotionally and physically.”

The Colorado High School Athletics and Activities Association Resocialization Task Force will meet after June 1 to begin discussions on athletics and activities for high school participation for the 2020-21 school year.