The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is supportive of the stance taken by the Illinois State Superintendent of Schools that no IHSA member school should organize their teams for any spring sport practices or games while Illinois high schools are closed through March 30.
Following the best practices provided by the state health department, the IHSA office will remain closed through March 30. Staff administrators will be working from home during normal hours. Please read our FAQ list related to spring sports and COVID-19 below. If your question is not answered there, you can view our list of staff administrators and responsibilities and email the appropriate staff member with your question.
During this time of mandated closure, the IHSA does not believe it is necessary or prudent for any number of students to gather for workouts, regardless of how those students gather or whether any IHSA rule is broken by said gathering. That includes informal/player-led practices or any type of instructional session. National, state, and local governmental leaders are clear: To help our country slow the spread of this pandemic, the best thing society can do is limit its interaction with one another, so, despite how difficult this may be, the IHSA strongly recommends students, parents, and non-school coaches/trainers follow this advice. Doing so could ultimately end up salvaging the spring sports season. The IHSA has already announced several upcoming State Tournament cancellations.
FAQ
SPRING RESUMPTION DATE
Q: Are schools ok to resume practice/games on March 30?
A: March 30 remains the target date, however, there are state
governmental, educational and health bodies that will need to approve
this action as we get closer to it. It is too early to say definitively
that IHSA activities will resume on March 30. Coaches will ultimately
need to work in conjunction with their local school administration, as
some school districts may choose to be more restrictive in their
decisions to return teams to practice or games.
SPRING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Q: Will spring sport state tournaments be conducted on their
normal dates after a shortened season, or rescheduled later in June or
July?
A: At this time, we are monitoring the updates from state
educators and health professionals on the best practices related to
COVID-19. If the March 30 deadline appears to be on-schedule in the
coming days and weeks, we will communicate an appropriate plan on spring
sports to our member schools. It is important to remember this is an
unprecedented situation and will remain fluid. It is possible, for
example, that schools may reopen at some point, but that other
gatherings (like sports) may remain limited.
SPRING SPORT NON-SCHOOL PARTICIPATION
Q: Can a student-athlete who is competing in a spring sport
(baseball, softball, track, etc.) for their high school practice or play
that sport with their non-school team, of the same sport, (i.e. travel
or club team) while school is closed?
A: No. IHSA by-laws do not allow a student-athlete who is
in-season to participate on a club or travel team, of the same sport,
and then return to play for their high school team. If a student-athlete
in this situation chooses to participate with their non-school team
during the school closure, they would not be able to return to their
high school team if/when the high school season resumes.
FALL/WINTER SPORT NON-SCHOOL PARTICIPATION
Q: Can a student-athlete who is competing in a spring sport
(baseball, softball, track, etc.) for their high school practice or play
a fall or winter sport (i.e. basketball or girls volleyball) with their
non-school team (i.e. travel or club team) while school is closed?
A: Yes. IHSA by-laws allow a student-athlete to participate
on a non-school team if that sport is not currently in-season at the
high school level.
UNOFFICIAL PRACTICES
Q: Could a group of student-athletes on a spring sport team
gather together and practice on their own, and can that practice take
place at their school facility?
A: As long as the school and coach are not officially organizing the practice, they could.
INDIVIDUAL LESSONS #1
Q: Can a spring sport student-athlete take personal lessons
while school is closed? Can the personal lessons be taught by their
high school coach?
A: Personal lessons are permitted throughout the school year
and during the summer. The high school coach may provide personal
lessons only if this is part of his/her livelihood and provided to
students other than just those attending the high school where he/she
coaches.
INDIVIDUAL LESSONS #2
Q: Can personal lessons be taught by their non-school team coach, and can they occur at the non-school team facility?
A: Yes. As long as the personal lessons are not part of a
non-school team practice or competition. Additionally, neither the high
school coach nor the school can require or arrange for their student-
athletes to receive personal lessons from a non-school coach. Any such
lessons should be limited to two players from one high school at a
single lesson.
ELIGIBILITY
Q: If the spring sports are unable to be conducted this year,
or if a student has to repeat a grade for any reason, including related
to the COVID-19 school closing, will student-athletes receive an
additional year of eligibility?
A: No. Students have eight semesters of eligibility that begin when they enter ninth grade.
NON-SCHOOL COMPETITIONS
Q: During the mandated school closure timeframe, can a
student-athlete compete in a non-school event that uses the skill of the
sport of an IHSA sport that is currently in season?
A: The student-athlete’s athletic director or official
representative of their school can complete the Non-School Competition
Request Form through their IHSA Schools Center account, and the IHSA
will either grant or deny permission. In order for permission to be
granted, the IHSA request form must be submitted by the athletic
director or official representative at least 10 days prior to the event,
the event must be sanctioned by an IHSA approved national governing
body or its Illinois affiliate or junior affiliate (i.e. USATF), and the
student-athlete may only have received IHSA approval for less than
three other non-school events for this sports season.
