The University Interscholastic League’s revised fall sports calendar means different things to different school districts and some are no closer to getting answers.

Several Houston area school districts – Houston ISD, Alief ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Conroe ISD and Aldine ISD – already declared they would start the 2020-2021 academic year entirely with online-based curriculum. Houston ISD, Alief ISD and Fort Bend ISD will not conduct extracurricular activities while school is online.

Houston ISD, the state’s largest district, has 24 schools competing in the UIL across the three largest classifications. The district delayed its start to Sept. 8 with a tentative date of Oct. 19 to begin phasing to in-person instruction.

It is unknown how or when HISD schools will conduct fall sports. The expectation according to language in Houston ISD’s reopening plan is teams across all three classifications will not be able to play until mid-October, at the earliest.

The district’s 4A schools – Furr, Kashmere, North Forest, Scarborough, Washington, Wheatley, Worthing and Yates – are particularly in the toughest spot. The UIL divvying up different start dates for its classifications is based on the virus not affecting rural areas like it does major cities but some smaller schools are in Houston and Dallas. The district certification deadline – when playoff teams must be determined – is Oct. 27 for 1A-4A volleyball and Nov. 7 for football. In 6A-5A, the volleyball deadline is Nov. 17 and Dec. 5 for football.

There is no indication of when Alief ISD would phase into in-person learning. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public are recommending local schools should not open for in-person classes before October.

Conroe ISD is on a virtual learning schedule but is returning to in-person instruction on Sept. 8, one day after 6A-5A volleyball and football teams are allowed to begin practicing.

Katy ISD athletics director Debbie Decker praised the UIL for devising a plan in difficult times. She said she still has work to do concerning her district’s 5A schools, Paetow and Jordan.

Paetow shares a football district with schools in Angleton ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Houston ISD, Alvin ISD and Lamar Consolidated ISD. Jordan’s high school football program begins its first year in 2020 with a sub-varsity schedule.

Paetow volleyball, for example, shares a district with Brenham, Bryan Rudder, College Station, A&M Consolidated, Magnolia, Magnolia West and Waller.

Each of those individual school districts may have different plans for reopening campus and starting the academic year.

Katy ISD tentatively starts school Aug. 19 and is giving families the option to enroll in online or in-person learning while allowing students to take part in athletics either way.

Decker is hoping the week of Aug. 3 reveals more detail about what other districts will do.

“We feel like we probably have a little better handle on our 6A’s just because those are seven of our schools but with the 5A’s we have some great leadership from the athletic directors in all of those 5A districts and we’ll all put our heads together and figure out the best way to plan moving forward.”