IHSA Meets With IDPH Officials Wednesday, Optimism Still Exists for Resuming High School Sports

BLOOMINGTON - Illinois High School Association Executive Director Craig Anderson, along with staff members of both the IHSA and Illinois Elementary School Association, met with the head of the Illinois Department of Public Health and state government representatives on Wednesday evening to discuss plans of resuming sporting activities for the member schools and student-athletes across the state.

Anderson and staffers from both organizations met with IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Deputy Governor Jesse Ruiz and IDPH Chief of Staff Justin DeWitt via video conferencing, and after the meeting, Anderson thought progress had been made in the meeting, and remains optimistic that the IHSA will be able to resume high school sports, which have been on hold since December, due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

"We appreciate the dialogue with state leadership, and believe it's crucial it continues moving forward," Anderson said in a news release from the IHSA that was posted on the organization's website on Thursday. "We understand that the state faces shifting priorities as it continues to fight the pandemic while also beginning the distribution of the vaccine. There was no expectation that a single meeting would resolve all our questions. However, we believe the collaborations with state officials is vital for the IHSA to be able to develop an informed plan for the 300,000-plus student-athletes and over 800 high schools that encompass the association."

During the meeting, both the IHSA and IESA brought up again the recommended mitigations originally introduced by the IHSA's Sports Medicine Advisory Board, and also asked the IDPH about their thoughts on the return to high school sports, while asking the IDPH to look at possibly reducing risk levels to some of their sports.

Anderson cited statistics and data from other states that suggest the IHSA can safely conduct sports in-state, and is also concerned about student-athletes who leave the state borders to play on the weekends for club teams.

"We believe that there is data and science that validates the idea we can safely conduct sports," Anderson said in the release. "We have seen it work in other states, and believe it can in Illinois if we utilize the mitigations provided by the IDPH and the IHSA SMAC. Students are already leaving or participating out-of-state on weekends. We believe that competing for their high schools remains the safest venues for participation."

While all IHSA sports are still currently on hold, the sports deemed low-risk, such as bowling and boys swimming, for example, can't start until the state returns to Phase 4 of the organization's rules. The IHSA Board of Directors' next meeting is set for Wednesday, Jan. 13.

"Our Board of Directors are going to have difficult decisions to make regarding the seasons for medium- and high-risk sports very soon," Anderson said. "With no specific IDPH timeline or statistical benchmarks established for the return of sports, and the calendar shrinking, putting together a puzzle that allows for all sports to be played become increasingly improbable. We continue to urge all residents of our state to be diligent in their efforts to adhere to safety guidelines, as a lower positivity rate remains the key to athletics returning."

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