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IHSA Updates Rules, Mask Requirements


The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met Monday, April 12 and announced some big news. Most pressing for summer athletes playing outdoor sports was the fact masks are no longer required to be worn when competing in bass fishing, baseball, softball, boys tennis and track and field. All those sports are considered low-risk sports that are all outside. Students must continue to wear masks in these sports and activities when they are not actively competing (i.e. athletes on the bench).

The IHSA also stated that officials in these sports and activities must continue to wear masks unless they are socially distanced. More guidance will be provided to the coaches and officials in these respective sports from the IHSA in the coming days.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recommends COVID-19 testing for student-athletes in high-risk sports. IDPH announced that the state of Illinois will fund optional testing for any school teams who wish to test their high-risk sports teams. Current high-risk IHSA sports include football, boys lacrosse and wrestling. The IHSA will provide member schools with state testing contacts when that information is available from IDPH.

Boys and girls soccer players still have to wear masks outdoors because they are a moderate risk sport.

Indoor sports that still require masks though are gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling.

More information can be found about the IDPH All-Sports Policy (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/sports-safety-guidance).

The board also approved a recommendation to reduce the IHSA summer contact day period from 25 down to 20 contact days for the summer of 2021 only.

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said:

“Given the unusual nature of the school year, the IHSA board and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) felt like a modest reduction in contact days would be in the best interest of the student-athletes’ and coaches’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being. With so many sports seasons being moved to the spring and summer this year, and with several overlapping, SMAC believes it is vital that we attempt to reduce the wear and tear on our athletes to reduce overuse injuries and allow them more time to recover. Many coaches have also been forced to coach multiple overlapping sports with no time off, so it is our hope that this contact day reduction will allow them to recharge as well. The board discussed further limitations suggested by the SMAC, but felt that each school could better assess its own programs and circumstances to determine their summer contact day schedule.”

The board approved a recommendation from the IHSA Financial Ad Hoc Committee to implement an annual membership assessment over the course of the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Known as the IHSA Recovery Plan, the graduated fee structure is based on a school’s enrollment, which is generally a strong indicator of participation in IHSA sport and activity programs. Assessments for the 2021-22 school year will be collected through Sept. 1, 2021. The graduated assessment structure is as follows:

Enrollment 2021-222022-232023-24

1-155             $500   —    $250    —    $125 

155.5-307     $875    —    $438    —    $219

307.5-605    $1,250 —   $625 —       $313

605.5-1379  $1,625 —    $813  —      $407

1379.5+        $2,000$1,000  —    $500

“The IHSA board does not make this decision, or for that matter, any decision that has a fiduciary impact on our member schools lightly,” Anderson said. “The pandemic has obviously been unprecedented and the financial impact on the association immense. The large majority of the IHSA budget is derived from gate receipts from postseason tournaments, most of which have been canceled or void of fans for the past year or longer. Meanwhile, our mission has continued, as we maintain the majority of our day-to-day responsibilities for our membership, while also continuing to conduct many state tournaments in virtual formats with an increasing emphasis on returning to in-person events when possible. We have been open and transparent with our member schools about our financial standing and the cuts and freezes we have and continue to make in order to be as fiscally responsible as possible. Our financial ad hoc committee was representative of a diverse group of schools from around the state, and they discussed a number of different budgetary options. They were unanimous in their decision that they believed the best option was the membership assessment fee structure approved today by our board. It is important to note that the IHSA Recovery Plan will be reevaluated over the next three years. If we are able to reduce or eliminate future assessments, then we will look to do so. We remain grateful and appreciative of all the support our member schools have provided us as we have navigated the uncertainty of the past year.”

The board approved a recommendation to finalize the dates and locations of several spring state finals. A general overview is provided below. More information will be posted on each individual sport page in the coming days. A full state series in girls lacrosse was also approved after it was recently reclassified by IDPH from high risk to moderate risk. Boys lacrosse remains at a high-risk classification by IDPH and can only conduct a sectional for eligible schools. Boys lacrosse sectionals will begin on June 7 regardless of any forthcoming classification changes by IDPH based on a recent coaches survey.  

Baseball State Finals:

June 17: Class 1A at Illinois State University

June 17: Class 3A at Schaumburg Boomers

June 18: Class 2A at Illinois State University

June 18: Class 4A at Joliet Slammers

Girls Lacrosse State Finals:

June 17: Semifinals at Glenbrook South High School

June 18: 3rd Place/State Championship at Glenbrook North High School

Softball State Finals:

June 16: Class 1A/2A State Finals at Louisville Slugger in Peoria

June 17: Class 3A/4A State Finals at Louisville Slugger in Peoria

Track & Field State Finals:

June 10: Class 1A Girls

June 11: Class 2A Girls

June 12: Class 3A Girls

June 17: Class 1A Boys

June 18: Class 2A Boys

June 19: Class 3A Boys

 

 

 

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