CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Illinois High School Association is taking a tough stand against schools that are not following Governor Pritzker’s mask mandate.
It’s simple. The IHSA has decided that schools that are on the Illinois State Board of Education’s “probation” or “unrecognized” lists for not following the mask mandate will not be allowed to take part in state playoffs for fall sports.
Additionally, the IHSA staff was directed to set appropriate timelines based on the schedule for each fall sport to begin, relieving schools of their state series hosting responsibilities if they are currently on ISBE probation due to non-compliance with the state mask mandate.
Boys & Girls Golf - Sept. 22
1A Boys Soccer - Sept. 23
2A/3A Boys Soccer - Sept. 30
Girls Volleyball - Oct. 7
Girls Tennis - Oct. 13
Boys & Girls Cross Country - Oct. 18
Football - Oct. 23
Girls Swimming & Diving - Nov. 1
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the board felt that not following the mandate was like a team picking and choosing what rules to follow in a game.
“The IHSA Board of Directors did not look at this situation as being a pro-mask or anti-mask issue, nor did they view their ruling as any type of political stance. Setting aside their own personal opinions, they were unanimous in the belief that the IHSA is a rule-driven organization that should continue to align with ISBE rules for the good of its membership," Anderson said in a statement. "The Board felt that not following the mandate was akin to a team picking and choosing what rules they were going to follow in a football game or volleyball match. Anecdotally, they shared a growing frustration among schools on how the scheduling process has been impacted by schools not following the mandate, which ultimately led them to set forth measures that they believe will help prevent some of those same issues from occurring during the postseason.”
Meanwhile, the IHSA has decided to host its first-ever esports, or video gaming, state series in April of 2022 with the inaugural state tournament featuring three titles: NBA2K, Rocket League, and Super Smash Brothers.
“It is exciting any time that we can expand the IHSA mission by offering another opportunity for students to represent their schools in competition,” Anderson said. “We appreciate the time and effort put forth by our staff and the committee members who helped get us to this point.”
Esports becomes the 10th activity offered by the IHSA, joining bass fishing, chess, debate, drama & group interpretation, speech, journalism, music, and scholastic bowl. The addition of esports brings the IHSA’s total State Series offerings to 41 total sports and activities.
Additionally, IHSA decided to move the state swimming finals to the FMC Natatorium in Westmont. The boys finals had been held at Evanston and New Trier High Schools since 1943.
Related
