(KWWL) — The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) have released health and safety guidelines for sports teams to follow as high school athletics kick back up this fall.

The two associations state that all Iowa schools will be eligible to participate in high school athletics this year, and any decision to not participate will be the decision of local districts.

Any school that decides to not participate in a sport must send a written letter to the director of the IHSAA and IGHSAU by August 17.  

If a district does decide to not offer a sport, they can either create a ‘cooperative sharing agreement’ with a participating district, or students can open enroll in another district and be eligible to participate. The sharing agreement may affect postseason eligibility of the host school.

All students will be eligible to participate in fall sports, should their district offer them.

In terms of allowing fans at athletic events, schools will implement protocols based off local health guidelines. If fans are allowed at events, they should be six feet apart. Families can sit together, but should be distanced from other groups or individuals.

Schools may also be requiring fans to wear masks.

The IHSAA says schools should identify a point of contact for all athletes and coaches who will be responsible for reporting situations of COVID-19 symptoms, positive test results, or possible exposure to local public health.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is still developing guidelines for when a student or student-athlete reports symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19. However, each school will create a contact-tracing communication plan to inform anyone who may have been exposed to the virus or in contact with the individual.

All schools are expected to implement health screening methods, similar to those baseball and softball used this summer. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4F or higher is to be isolated until they can return home.

Anyone involved in all athletic-related activities is expected social distance maintaining six feet apart and all shared equipment should be properly sanitized. Locker rooms should also be sanitized daily.

You can see the full guidelines from the IHSAA here and the IGHASU here.

The associations are also providing sport-specific guidance for fall sports, which you can find below.

SPORT-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE: