GHSA gives updates on ‘Contest Day’ recommendations, majority of state still set for Sept. 4 kickoff

The 2020 Georgia High School Football Season is scheduled to begin the week of Sept. 4, with the exception of several districts across the state that have postponed their starting dates. The staggered starting dates created by these postponements have impacted the schedules for many teams, but the region slate statewide remains largely unaffected at this point. Some school systems have even made the move to go with an exclusively in-district schedule for this upcoming season. For example, the Savannah-Chatham County School System pushed its season back to Sept. 30 and will have each of its schools competing solely within their regions or against other schools in the district. These teams will remain in their current regions, with non-region games against other SCCPSS schools in a 7-game regular season schedule. Region games against out-of-district opponents will be counted as forfeits—according to SCCPSS.

The two largest districts to postpone their seasons are DeKalb County (Sept. 30) and Fulton County (Sept. 14). These two metro school systems account for a combined 35 programs. After making the move to delay the start of the season to Sept. 4, GHSA Executive Director Dr. Robin Hines has given individual districts the autonomy to make their own decisions about when to start. However, if more districts decide to postpone their seasons in the next week, or if the Sports Medicine Council decides that the COVID case numbers are trending in the wrong direction, a statewide recommendation to delay the season could happen—as Hines stated in his update this past Wednesday.

On Monday, Hines gave another update after meeting with the State Department of Public Health and provided documents that detail an action plan for ‘Failed Screening or Positive COVID-19 Tests‘ as well as the latest recommendations for ‘Contest Day Operations’.

Georgia is one of the nine Southern States that is still planning on playing football this fall. Listed below are the scheduled starting dates for all of the Southern States, as well as a list of every public school district and private school with a GHSA football program. As of Monday at 5 p.m. a total of 67 programs across the state have either delayed or cancelled their seasons.

STARTING DATES FOR SOUTHERN STATES
Tennessee – Aug. 21
Alabama – Aug. 21
Arkansas – Aug. 28
Florida – Sept. 4
Georgia – Sept. 4
Mississippi – Sept. 4
Kentucky – Sept. 11
South Carolina – Sept. 25
Louisiana – Oct. 9
North Carolina – Feb. 26
Virginia – March 5

GEORGIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Appling County
Atkinson County
Atlanta Public Schools
Bacon County
Baker County
Baldwin County
Banks County
Barrow County
Bartow County
Ben Hill County
Berrien County
Bibb County (6 Schools: Postponed Indefinitely) Central, Howard, Northeast, Rutland, Southwest, Westside
Bleckley County
Brantley County
Bremen City
Brooks County
Bryan County
Buford City
Bulloch County
Burke County
Butts County
Calhoun City
Calhoun County (1 School: Cancelled) Calhoun County
Camden County
Candler County
Carroll County
Carrollton City
Cartersville City
Catoosa County
Charlton County
Chattahoochee County
Chattooga County
Cherokee County
Chickamauga City
City Schools of Decatur (1 School: Delayed to September 25) Decatur
Clarke County
Clay County
Clayton County
Clinch County
Cobb County
Coffee County
Colquitt County
Columbia County
Commerce City
Cook County
Coweta County
Crisp County
Dade County
Dalton Public Schools
Dawson County
Decatur County
DeKalb County (19 Schools: Delayed to September 30) Arabia Mountain, Cedar Grove, Chamblee, Clarkston, Columbia, Cross Keys, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, M.L.K., Lakeside-DeKalb, Lithonia, McNair, Miller Grove, Redan, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Towers, Tucker
Dodge County
Dooly County
Dougherty County (3 Schools: Delayed to Sept. 30) Dougherty, Monroe, Westover
Douglas County
Dublin City
Early County
Echols County
Effingham County
Elbert County
Emanuel County
Evans County
Fannin County
Fayette County
Floyd County
Forsyth County
Franklin County
Fulton County (16 Schools: Delayed to Sept. 14) Alpharetta, Banneker, Cambridge, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Creekside, Johns Creek, Hapeville Charter, Hughes, Milton, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westlake
Gainesville City
Gilmer County
Glascock County
Glynn County
Gordon County
Grady County
Greene County
Griffin-Spalding County
Gwinnett County
Habersham County
Hall County
Hancock County
Haralson County
Harris County
Hart County
Heard County
Henry County
Houston County
Irwin County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jeff Davis County
Jefferson City
Jefferson County
Jenkins County
Johnson County
Jones County
Lamar County
Lanier County
Laurens County
Lee County
Liberty County (2 Schools: Postponed Indefinitely) Bradwell Institute, Liberty County
Lincoln County
Long County
Lowndes County
Lumpkin County
Macon County
Madison County
Marietta City
Marion County
McDuffie County
McIntosh County
Meriwether County
Miller County
Mitchell County
Montgomery County
Morgan County
Murray County
Muscogee County
Newton County (3 Schools: Postponed Indefinitely) Alcovy, Eastside, Newton
Oconee County
Oglethorpe County
Patula Charter
Paulding County
Peach County
Pelham City
Pickens County
Pierce County
Pike County
Polk County
Pulaski County
Putnam County
Quitman County
Rabun County
Randolph County
Richmond County
Rockdale County (3 Schools: Cancelled) Heritage-Conyers, Rockdale County, Salem
Rome City
Savannah-Chatham County (8 Schools: Delayed to Sept. 30 with In-District Schedules) Beach, Groves, Islands, Jenkins, Johnson, New Hampstead, Savannah, Windsor Forest
Schley County
Screven County
Seminole County
Social Circle City
Stephens County
Stewart County (1 School: Cancelled) Stewart County
Sumter County
Talbot County
Taliaferro County
Tattnall County
Taylor County
Telfair County
Terrell County
Thomas County
Thomaston-Upson County
Thomasville City
Tift County
Toombs County
Towns County
Treutlen County
Trion City
Troup County
Turner County
Twiggs County (1 School: Cancelled) Twiggs County
Union County
Valdosta City
Vidalia City
Walker County
Walton County
Ware County
Warren County
Washington County
Wayne County
Webster County
Wheeler County
White County
Whitfield County
Wilcox County
Wilkes County
Wilkinson County
Worth County

GEORGIA’S FOOTBALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Aquinas
Athens Academy
Athens Christian
Atlanta International School
Benedictine
Blessed Trinity
Brookstone
Bulloch Academy
Calvary Day
Christian Heritage
Darlington
Deerfield-Windsor
Eagle’s Landing Christian
Excel Christian
Fellowship Christian
First Presbyterian Day
George Walton Academy
Greater Atlanta Christian
Hebron Christian
Heritage-Newnan
Holy Innocents’
King’s Ridge
Lakeview Academy
Landmark Christian
Loganville Christian
Lovett
Marist
Memorial Day School
Mount Vernon Presbyterian
Mount de Sales
Mt. Paran
Mt. Pisgah
North Cobb Christian
Our Lady of Mercy (Cancelled)
Pace Academy
Pinecrest Academy (Cancelled)
Prince Avenue Christian
Providence Christian
Riverside Military (Cancelled)
Savannah Christian
Savannah Country Day
St. Anne-Pacelli
St. Francis
St. Pius
St. Vincent’s Academy
Stratford Academy
Strong Rock Christian
Tallulah Falls
Tattnall Square Academy
The Galloway School
The Walker School
Trinity Christian
Wesleyan
Westminster
Whitefield Academy
Woodward Academy

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