At a Nov. 11 board of directors meeting, The Illinois HIgh School Association (IHSA) decided to formally invite representatives from Governor Pritzker’s Office and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to attend the IHSA Board meeting on November 19 to discuss the 2020-21 basketball season.
The IHSA will also seek representation at the meeting from the Illinois Principals Association (IPA), the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and a coalition of nearly 200 school superintendents who recently contacted the Governor regarding school sports during the 2020-21 school year for the meeting.
“The Board hopes to create a dialogue and build a more collaborative relationship with all the entities involved with developing sports policy in our state as everyone tries to navigate the myriad issues caused by the pandemic,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “The Board’s decision to move forward with the IHSA basketball season was not meant to be adversarial. It was rooted in a desire to receive more direct communication and data from our state partners. They hope all the groups will see the mutual benefit of increased discourse and be represented at the meeting on November 19.”
The decision on whether or not to participate in a winter or spring basketball season was ultimately left to each school district as IDPH moved basketball from a medium-risk to high-risk activity only able to operate under continued trainings at this point in time and the IHSA board said that schools could begin practice with certain mitigations in place on Nov. 16.
A survey of the 813 IHSA member schools showed that nearly 300 schools decided to follow IDPH guidelines and another 212 schools remained unsure of their decision.
“The Board recognizes the difficult decisions they have placed on member schools regarding basketball,” said Anderson. “With a limited number of schools set to begin their season on November 16, they believe it is prudent to adhere to IDPH guidance as they work with state officials to gain greater clarity on the metrics and mitigations required to conduct certain high school sports throughout the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.”
Locally, Mahomet-Seymour, Charleston, Effingham, Lincoln, Mahomet-Seymour, Mattoon, Mt. Zion and Taylorville. Teutopolis, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Salt Fork, Urbana, Uni High, Rantoul, Argenta-Oreana, Hoopeston Area, St. Thomas More and Schlarman have said that they will follow IDPH guidelines.
Currently, IHSA member schools are only allowed to compete within their EMS Region. Mahomet-Seymour is in Region 6.
