As ever, NHSEB’s highest priority remains the health and safety of our participants and their communities (Students, Coaches, Volunteers, and Organizers alike). The fundamental objective of our program involves equipping students with the tools to become more ethically reflective and engaged members of their moral and civic communities. As such, it is the expectation of the NHSEB Executive Committee that participants across all NHSEB-affiliated events show proper regard for the safety of their fellow participants by complying with all safety protocols implemented by host institutions and the communities they serve. Furthermore, participants are expected to act in accordance with CDC recommendations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 wherever possible (including, e.g., face coverings, physical distancing, etc.)
With this ideal in mind, and as communities across the United States continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, NHSEB has elected to offer Regional Organizers a choice as to the modality of their events for the 2021-2022 season:
In areas where it is safe and feasible to do so, Organizers may proceed with in-person, face to face (F2F) events under the expectation that those events be compliant with local regulations and CDC recommendations for protection against the spread of COVID-19 as above. The NHSEB Executive Committee reserves the right to disqualify teams from advancing beyond their Regional in cases where safety protocols are violated.
Later this Fall, NHSEB will release a set of recommended COVID-19 Protocols which will be in effect for the North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl and the 2022 NHSEB National Championship. These protocols have been developed in cooperation with UNC’s Department of Public Safety and the UNC Office for the Protection of Minors, and Regional Competitions are welcome to adopt them (over and beyond local and regional restrictions) if they choose. NHSEB’s recommendations are designed for consistency with the most up to date CDC guidance. In the event that guidance from relevant authorities changes, NHSEB’s protocols will be updated accordingly. If a Regional Organizer is concerned that a high level of compliance with COVID-19 protocols is not feasible for their event, either as a result of requirements imposed by the host institution or as a result of voluntary compliance, they are encouraged to plan their event in an online format.
The online format developed last year, using NHSEBOne, will remain an option in 2021-2022. NHSEBOne will be enabled for use among all NHSEB Regional Competitions who request it, free of charge. As was the case in 2020-2021, NHSEB has provided additional recommendations for online format events using NHSEBOne, as part of the 2021-2022 Rules Manual.
Any questions or concerns about this policy should be directed to the NHSEB Executive Committee at ethicsbowl@unc.edu.