Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Executive Director Marty Hickman ruled today that any students displaced by the earthquake and subsequent disasters in Japan that relocate to IHSA member schools will be granted immediate eligibility to participate in IHSA sports and activities.

The United State Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) recently informed IHSA member schools that it has issued a voluntary authorized departure from the Island of Honshu, Japan for United States military family members. The number of families that will relocate from Japan to the United States, or to Illinois, is unknown at this point.

“We don’t know if we will have any high school students relocating from Japan to IHSA member schools,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “But if we do, we want to help these students transition back to normalcy in any way that we can.”