The CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) approved a revision to their bylaws which reduced the required summer “dead period” for high school sports from 21 consecutive days to 14 consecutive days, but requires all sports at a school to have the same dead period dates, according to CIF-SS officials.

The change was approved at the organization’s annual CIF Southern Section Council Meeting by a vote of 45 in favor, 40 against and five abstains.

#CommissionersMemo: Summer Dead Period 2020 pic.twitter.com/Yzasu9KdoN

— CIF Southern Section (@CIFSS) January 28, 2020

The previous vote on the proposal by the Executive Committee passed by a similarly narrow margin, by a vote of 11-9.

Principals must now coordinate with their various athletic directors and coaches to select the two-week period for the dead period.

Once a principal has selected their dates, the dates must be forwarded to the CIF Southern Section office.

Schools may choose to have a dead period longer than 14 days, but that is the absolute minimum required by the adjusted bylaw.

In addition to holding no practice, programs may conduct no weight training, hold no open gym and conduct no team conditioning — no activities whatsoever, according to CIF officials.

The adjustment also closed a loophole in the wording of the bylaw that previously allowed some schools to conduct a significant portion of their dead period while still in school, denying families the full 21 days off previously required, according to the original proposal.

Another benefit is that by requiring all sports to hold their dead period at the same time, multi-sport athletes are guaranteed the same rest period provided to single-sport athletes.

The change is scheduled to go into effect beginning July 1, 2020.

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