IHSA announces sports schedule for remainder of school year
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The IHSA Board of Directors met for a special board meeting on Wednesday, where the Board provided an updated sports schedule and other guidance for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
"We understood the high level of anticipation surrounding today’s announcement, along with the scrutiny that will accompany it," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. "Ultimately, the Board adhered to its stated goals throughout the pandemic: providing an opportunity for every IHSA student-athlete to compete safely this year and maximizing opportunities for traditional IHSA spring sports after they lost their entire season a year ago."
The Board approved the following schedule for the remainder of the school year:
All sports will be required to hold practice on seven different days prior to holding a contest, with the exception of football, which requires individuals to participate in practice on 12 different days.
Holding multiple practices on a date does not impact that timeline, officials said.
IHSA guidelines require all student-athletes to wear masks, with the exception of swimming & diving, gymnasts on an apparatus and outdoor events where social distancing can occur. All game personnel not participating in the contest must also wear masks and adhere to social distancing.
The Board also agreed to consider other opportunities for a given sport, like basketball, if the sport is unable to be played in a specific region.
"We have said from day one that if and when we were allowed to play again this year, the situation would be fluid," said Anderson. "We don’t feel great about the notion of some schools falling behind based on their Region’s status, but also recognize that we are running out of time and can’t afford to hold back the Regions that can play."
All sports that are out-of-season can conduct contact days through June 4. Contact days will be limited to three days per week, per sport.
The maximum amount of contact hours per week is six hours for sports with no interscholastic competition.