Process for Returning to Sports and Activities
9/19/2020

In an attempt to help answer questions and to clarify the steps needed for returning to sports and activities, the WIAA has outlined the following steps in partnership with the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool and Clear Risk after conversations with the Governor’s Office and Washington Department of Health (DOH).


What we Need to Return to Play:
1. Governor to recommend return to play
2. DOH to provide guidance on required steps to return to play
3. Risk management to review any new recommendation in response to Governor and DOH
4. School leadership to commit to play
a. Most would consider return to play once students are able to return to school even in a hybrid model
b. Coaches under collective bargaining agreements would need to support return to play
5. WIAA Executive Board to review current schedule with new recommendations.


It is important that everyone from government officials, to local school leadership, work together to create an environment for education-based athletics to return. Not only will that provide the safest path to competition, it is the only way to allow equitable opportunities for students in all sports around the state.

The WIAA staff and Executive Board will continue to develop a creative and flexible framework for practice and competition to resume as safely as possible. The Governor’s Office, DOH and OSPI stated they would periodically review guidelines as more information became available which could change the current recommendation of no extra-curricular activities if schools are providing primarily remote learning. Pending a change in guidance from those organizations, considerations for the WIAA Executive Board will include:

Key Considerations:
1. Do schools have the resources and ability to meet any new recommendations that may come from Governor’s Office and DOH?
2. Would a limited fall season provide more, or less, opportunity for a majority of WIAA participants?
a. Currently, the WIAA schedule provides for 7 regular-season contests in the spring plus one additional contest for schools that do not qualify to postseason
3. What would students gain by playing in the fall rather than the revised scheduled seasons?
4. What is a realistic start date for a fall season if recommendations and guidelines change? How much time is needed for students to return safely?
5. Would a late fall start disproportionately impact fall sports such as golf, tennis and cross country due to weather issues?
6. Allow competition between schools that desire to play contests during the open period currently scheduled September 28-November 30


The WIAA fully understands the desire to return to play. Education-based activities is a passion for those in our office as well as for athletic directors and coaches around the state. However, the WIAA’s top priority is the health and safety of student-participants while offering equitable opportunities to all students.

Process for Returning to Sports and Activities
9/19/2020

In an attempt to help answer questions and to clarify the steps needed for returning to sports and activities, the WIAA has outlined the following steps in partnership with the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool and Clear Risk after conversations with the Governor’s Office and Washington Department of Health (DOH).


What we Need to Return to Play:
1. Governor to recommend return to play
2. DOH to provide guidance on required steps to return to play
3. Risk management to review any new recommendation in response to Governor and DOH
4. School leadership to commit to play
a. Most would consider return to play once students are able to return to school even in a hybrid model
b. Coaches under collective bargaining agreements would need to support return to play
5. WIAA Executive Board to review current schedule with new recommendations.


It is important that everyone from government officials, to local school leadership, work together to create an environment for education-based athletics to return. Not only will that provide the safest path to competition, it is the only way to allow equitable opportunities for students in all sports around the state.

The WIAA staff and Executive Board will continue to develop a creative and flexible framework for practice and competition to resume as safely as possible. The Governor’s Office, DOH and OSPI stated they would periodically review guidelines as more information became available which could change the current recommendation of no extra-curricular activities if schools are providing primarily remote learning. Pending a change in guidance from those organizations, considerations for the WIAA Executive Board will include:

Key Considerations:
1. Do schools have the resources and ability to meet any new recommendations that may come from Governor’s Office and DOH?
2. Would a limited fall season provide more, or less, opportunity for a majority of WIAA participants?
a. Currently, the WIAA schedule provides for 7 regular-season contests in the spring plus one additional contest for schools that do not qualify to postseason
3. What would students gain by playing in the fall rather than the revised scheduled seasons?
4. What is a realistic start date for a fall season if recommendations and guidelines change? How much time is needed for students to return safely?
5. Would a late fall start disproportionately impact fall sports such as golf, tennis and cross country due to weather issues?
6. Allow competition between schools that desire to play contests during the open period currently scheduled September 28-November 30


The WIAA fully understands the desire to return to play. Education-based activities is a passion for those in our office as well as for athletic directors and coaches around the state. However, the WIAA’s top priority is the health and safety of student-participants while offering equitable opportunities to all students.

We are very excited to announce that the Mukilteo School District Athletic Department has partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice! FinalForms also pre-populates information wherever possible, for each of your students, saving you time.

You may review your data at any time to verify it is current. You will be required to sign your forms once per year and after any update.

Click on the Parent Playbook (attached) to get started in FinalForms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support”.

We are asking that ALL parents of athletes use FinalForms.

Please register at: https://Mukilteo-wa.finalforms.com

and follow the prompts to create your account, create your students and sign your forms.

Thank you for your assistance in streamlining our paperwork processes at Mukilteo School District

We are very excited to announce that the Mukilteo School District Athletic Department has partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice! FinalForms also pre-populates information wherever possible, for each of your students, saving you time.

You may review your data at any time to verify it is current. You will be required to sign your forms once per year and after any update.

Click on the Parent Playbook (attached) to get started in FinalForms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support”.

We are asking that ALL parents of athletes use FinalForms.

Please register at: https://Mukilteo-wa.finalforms.com

and follow the prompts to create your account, create your students and sign your forms.

Thank you for your assistance in streamlining our paperwork processes at Mukilteo School District

WESCO proposed 3-season plan – December 2020

• Seasons will be played in Fall, Spring, Winter order.
• Each season will be 6 weeks long (1 week for practices, 5 weeks for competition)
• Fall sports:
• Decision Date: February 1
• First Practice: February 22
• First competition week: March 1
• Season End: April 3
• Spring sports:
• Decision Date: March 8
• First Practice: March 29
• First competition week: April 5
• Season End: May 8
• Winter sports:
• Decision Date: April 12
• First Practice: May 3
• First competition week: May 10
• Season End: June 12

If individual fall sports need to be moved to alternate seasons, the following will take place.

• Football - with winter sports
• Girls Soccer - with winter sports
• Cross Country - with winter sports
• Boys Tennis - with winter sports
• Volleyball - with spring sports
• Girls Swim - with spring sports

If we are unable to offer all the fall sports in February, the league will condense to 2 seasons of 7 weeks each (1 practice, 6 competition) with the following dates.

Proposed 2-season plan:

• Spring sports plus volleyball and girls’ swim:
• Decision Date: February 15
• First Practice: March 8
• First competition week: March 15
• Season End: April 24
• Winter sports plus football, cross country, boy’s tennis, girls’ soccer
• Decision Date: April 12
• First Practice: May 3
• First competition week: May 10
• Season End: April 24

Finally, if our time gets squeezed and we can only offer one season, we will cancel fall and winter sports and only offer spring sports. If we get to that situation, we will determine specific dates.

WESCO proposed 3-season plan – December 2020

• Seasons will be played in Fall, Spring, Winter order.
• Each season will be 6 weeks long (1 week for practices, 5 weeks for competition)
• Fall sports:
• Decision Date: February 1
• First Practice: February 22
• First competition week: March 1
• Season End: April 3
• Spring sports:
• Decision Date: March 8
• First Practice: March 29
• First competition week: April 5
• Season End: May 8
• Winter sports:
• Decision Date: April 12
• First Practice: May 3
• First competition week: May 10
• Season End: June 12

If individual fall sports need to be moved to alternate seasons, the following will take place.

• Football - with winter sports
• Girls Soccer - with winter sports
• Cross Country - with winter sports
• Boys Tennis - with winter sports
• Volleyball - with spring sports
• Girls Swim - with spring sports

If we are unable to offer all the fall sports in February, the league will condense to 2 seasons of 7 weeks each (1 practice, 6 competition) with the following dates.

Proposed 2-season plan:

• Spring sports plus volleyball and girls’ swim:
• Decision Date: February 15
• First Practice: March 8
• First competition week: March 15
• Season End: April 24
• Winter sports plus football, cross country, boy’s tennis, girls’ soccer
• Decision Date: April 12
• First Practice: May 3
• First competition week: May 10
• Season End: April 24

Finally, if our time gets squeezed and we can only offer one season, we will cancel fall and winter sports and only offer spring sports. If we get to that situation, we will determine specific dates.