A Note From The California High School Speech Association on the 2020-2021 Competitive Year

As the safety of all in our community and beyond is our single greatest priority, it is the recommendation of the California High School Speech Association that all speech and debate competition through at least the end of the year happen virtually and not at in person competitions throughout the state.

Each day, increasing evidence comes out from the CDC, WHO, and other global health leaders about the immediate and very real danger of mass gatherings. The severity of this concern is compounded by the fact that studies sponsored by the NFHS are showing us that speech and debate specifically, when held in person, can truly be a “super spreader” event. Forensics matters, but caring for the lives of our most vulnerable community members means we need to accommodate this hopefully temporary disruption as best as we can.

As such, we encourage all in our community to embrace virtual competition throughout the rest of the year. Like distance learning, this will be an adjustment for all, so we implore our community to prioritize empathy & access so that speech and debate may serve as a lighthouse in this storm for our students, coaches, and community members.

The sun will rise again and we can’t wait to be there together when it does.