Using information that it obtained from the Sports Medicine Advisory Committe, on October 28th, the IHSA went against Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health’s suggestion that basketball be “put on hold” and gave the go-ahead to start basketball as planned on November 16th. Later in the day on the 28th, Pritzker hinted that the schools could be subject to possible litigation if they chose to play basketball this winter. After numerous schools around the state chose not to play due to lack of insurance coverage, the IHSA changed their tune a bit this week. After their regularly scheduled November meeting on Wednesday, the IHSA released a statement that they would recommend that schools who plan to begin basketball practice on November 16 should adhere to the Level 1 mitigations from the IDPH until at least November 19. The Board cited rising COVID-19 cases in the state and a recent membership survey for the recommendation. The Board also announced that they are formally inviting representatives from Governor Pritzker’s Office and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to attend a meeting on November 19. Additionally, 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.
The United School District board meeting was held on Thursday. Of course, basketball was one of the topics of discussions, as it has been at most school board meetings around the state this week. United High School Superintendent Jeff Whitsitt said that the topic certainly came up during the meeting.
