Swine flu outbreaks causes Texas to postpones high school sports until May 11

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas officials today postponed all public high school athletic and academic competitions until May 11 because of the swine flu outbreak.

The move suspends the baseball and softball seasons and eliminates the regional track championships that were to start Friday, said Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the University Interscholastic League. He said league officials acted on the recommendation of public health officials.

“The health and safety of our student activity participants is of the utmost importance,” Breithaupt said. “Taking every possible precaution to prevent the further spreading of this disease is an important contribution to the welfare of our great state, and altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants safe.”

School officials say 53,000 students are out of school due to concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed to be sanitized.