ILLINOIS (WAND) - Schools on probation for failing to follow the Illinois mask mandate after a deadline will not be allowed to be part of State Series competition, the IHSA ruled.
On Monday, the Illinois High School Association board decided to take this step to enforce proper mask-wearing. Schools will lose their eligibility if they are still on probation with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for non-compliance with the mandate on the day of seeding, or the list of participant entry deadline.
An executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker requires mask-wearing at all P-12 schools and day cares. The governor took this step to help protect the 1.8 million unvaccinated children under 12 years old in Illinois and their families as the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 spreads, according to a past statement from Pritzker's office.
School districts failing to follow mask mandate requirements are subject to losing recognition from the state, per Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, the state superintendent of education. She previously issued a letter to superintendents reminding them districts do not have authority to deny Pritzker's executive order.
The IHSA approved the below schedule for relieving schools on probation of their State Series hosting responsibilities:
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson released the below statement following the board's decision:
“The IHSA Board of Directors did not look at this situation as being a pro-mask or anti-mask issue, nor did they view their ruling as any type of political stance. Setting aside their own personal opinions, they were unanimous in the belief that the IHSA is a rule-driven organization that should continue to align with ISBE rules for the good of its membership. The Board felt that not following the mandate was akin to a team picking and choosing what rules they were going to follow in a football game or volleyball match. Anecdotally, they shared a growing frustration among schools on how the scheduling process has been impacted by schools not following the mandate, which ultimately led them to set forth measures that they believe will help prevent some of those same issues from occurring during the postseason.”
