CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES

This page was last updated on 4/1/2020

OVERVIEW

The Eastern Missouri Forensics Community - including representatives from NSDA, MSHSAA, and NCFL - are closely monitoring the impact of Coronavirus on the upcoming events in our community:  MSHSAA State, NCFL Nationals, and NSDA Nationals.   This page will updated with information as it is released by the state and national organizations of MSHSAA, NSDA, and NCFL. 

Contact information for the regional coordinators for these organizations can be found below. 

RUNNING UPDATES

3/31/2020
NSDA has officially "cancelled" the 2020 NSDA National Tournament in Albuquerque, NM.  However, they are planning to offer an online version of the tournament.  Official statement linked right. 

3/30/2020
EastMO NSDA released a brief update about the National Qualification bid process (linked right).

3/23/2020
Jefferson County and St. Charles County issue a "stay at home" order effective 12:01 am Tuesday, 3/24/2020.

St. Louis City and St. Louis County school districts extend closure through 4/22/2020. 

3/21/2020
St. Louis City and St. Louis County issue a "stay at home" order effective 12:01 am Monday, 3/23/2020. 

State of Missouri issues a "social distancing" order effective 12:01 am Monday, 3/23/2020.

3/20/2020
NCFL has cancelled the Grand National Tournament scheduled to be held in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.

The EastMO Forensics community launched a support page as students, coaches, and teachers adapt to online learning.  www.eastmoforensics.com/support

Mexico School District announced schools will be closed March 20 - April 13.

3/18/2020
EastMO NSDA released an updated (linked right) about plans moving forward for selecting NSDA National Qualifiers.

3/16/2020
MSHSAA has released a statement officially cancelling the 2020 Speech, Debate, and Theatre State Championship Tournament.

NSDA notified District Committees that, given the CDC guidelines released Sunday evening, they will NOT allow any NSDA District Tournaments to reschedule.  The EastMO NSDA Committee is evaluating options provided by the NSDA and will be in touch with member schools in the next few days.

NCFL provided an update via their website.

Jefferson City Schools, Ste. Genevieve Schools, and Jackson School District announced they will be closed March 18 - April 3.  Columbia Public Schools announced they will be closed March 18 - April 13.

3/15/2020
Virtually all schools in the St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County,  and Jefferson County areas have announced they will close March 18th through April 3rd.  Schools in Jefferson City, Columbia, and Mexico appear to be staying open for the time being.

3/13/2020
The NSDA released a statement and has suspended all NSDA District Tournaments.  The District Committee will receive instructions from the NSDA on Monday, March 17.  EastMO NSDA schools will be updated after that.

MSHSAA released a statement indicating that all Spring activities are going ahead as scheduled, BUT that frequent monitoring of their website is needed due to a fluid situation.  MSHSAA Speech, Debate & Theatre State is, at this point, going ahead as scheduled.

NCFL released a statement indicating that the NCFL Grand National Tournament is, at this time, still going ahead as scheduled but with significantly delayed registration deadlines.

3/11/2020
The Eastern Missouri NSDA District Tournament has been cancelled.  Please see statement linked to the right.

3/9/2020
​The Eastern Missouri NSDA District Committee is closely monitoring reports about the spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus in St. Louis.  This situation could impact the upcoming events:
  • EastMO NSDA Speech & Debate Districts in March
  • MSHSAA Speech, Debate, and Theatre State Championship in April
  • ​NCFL National Tournament in May
  • NSDA National Tournament in June

As of 3/9/2020, our focus is the impact on the EastMO NSDA Speech & Debate District Tournament scheduled for March 12 - 14, 2020 at Parkway West and Pattonville High Schools.

As of now, this tournament is still continuing as normal.  Statements released by the District Committee will be posted to the right shortly after being emailed to head coaches.   The statement on 3/9/2020 has information about how the Committee is actively monitoring the situation and our current course of action.  

You can also find additional resources about staying safe and healthy.

The health of our students and coaches is at the heart of every decision made by the District Committee.

STATEMENTS & RELEASES

WHO TO CONTACT

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

IMPORTANT NOTE

Press releases and statements from MSHSAA, NSDA, and NCFL are checked daily Monday through Friday.  Information will be reposted and/or "linked to" from this page as quickly as possible.  The top of this page has a "last updated" date which will indicate the most recent check for statements or press releases.

In most cases at this point in the year, the local coordinators are relaying information only; the decision making process is being conducted at the state and national level.
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Created in 2019, this website is a collaborative, community-based project.  Creation, maintenance, and updates are handled by a small group of volunteers from the EastMO NSDA District Committee, the GSL Board of Directors, and the MSHSAA District #4 Committee.  Parts of the website are going to be more developed than others.  We welcome your feedback about broken links, improper formatting, or missing information!  Use the "About this website" link to learn more and how you can help us make this a better resource for coaches, teachers, students, and judges!