DIAA Board of Directors Meeting Update
Updates from September 9, 2021 Meeting
(Dover, DE) September 10, 2021 – The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) Board of Directors convened yesterday for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Topics of discussion included updates from Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), DIAA committee membership updates, updates regarding the DIAA Transgender Policy sub-committee, and updated fall sport tournament eligibility requirements.
In the DPH update, masks are one of the best practices in limiting the spread of COVID-19. Teams are encouraged to social distance when space allows indoors and frequently sanitize hands. DPH representative Dana Carr pointed out that national data is showing that unvaccinated adolescents are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated adolescents. Free walk-in vaccination clinics continue to be offered by DPH throughout New Castle, Sussex and Kent counties. More information on how to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can be found at https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/vaccine/
The board approved membership updates to various DIAA committees. The formation of the DIAA Transgender Policy Sub-Committee was approved by the DIAA Board of Directors and planning for the committee’s first meeting will be on the October meeting agenda. Those interested in serving on this sub-committee should submit the application that can be found here.
The board discussed potential fall tournament eligibility concerns due to the effects of COVID-19 on member schools’ ability to play all their scheduled contests. The board voted to decrease the current eligibility requirements that teams have to meet in an effort to provide some relief if games are lost due to the spread of COVID-19 and quarantining. Boys soccer and field hockey minimum game requirements decreased from 12 to 10 games. Volleyball minimum game requirement decreased from 13 to 10 matches, Football 8 to 7 games, unified flag football decreased from 6 to 5 minimum games played, and cross country’s minimum meet requirement remains at 5 meets. DIAA continues to strongly encourage all interscholastic participants to diligently practice risk mitigation strategies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and seek out opportunities to get vaccinated. Any contest that was on a team’s schedule on the sport’s first date of competition and experienced a COVID-19 related schedule disruption that is not able to be rescheduled, will still be counted as a no-contest.
Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) has relaunched DIAA’s website. As DIAA remains committed to being a resource for interscholastic athletic participants, the newly launched website provides more user friendly navigation and a much improved visitor experience. More updates to the DIAA website will continue to roll out in the coming months. DIAA’s new website address is https://education.delaware.gov/diaa
The board was updated on Regulation 1009 and informed of DIAA current hot topics that included inquiries about the DIAA waiver process, DIAA eligibility and enrollment regulations, and the impacts of the recent NCAA’s ruling on name, image and likeness on interscholastic athletics.
The next DIAA Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14th. November’s DIAA Board of Directors meeting has been rescheduled from the 11th to the 18th.
For media inquiries contact Alison May at Alison.may@doe.k12.de.us.