The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the I Hotel in Champaign on Saturday, March 11, 2023, where the Board approved four action items.
ACTION ITEMS
1. The Board approved a recommendation to modify the enrollments and classification cutoffs based on new home enrollment numbers received from the Illinois State Board of Education. The IHSA enrollments that were initially released for 2023-24 have been revised after being alerted to a change in the way that the Illinois State Board of Education calculates school enrollments and will be released soon.
2. The Board approved a recommendation from the Esports Advisory Committee to discontinue NBA 2K as a game offering in the IHSA State Series.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“NBA 2K is popular with our competing esports students, so this is a disappointing course of events to say the least. PlayVS currently has exclusive rights to the NBA2K usage at the high school level. We have had numerous discussions with PlayVS to try and navigate a path to allow NBA2K to continue to be played in the IHSA State Series, but to no avail. We hope that PlayVS will reconsider their stance in the future so we can offer this game again.”
3. The Board approved a recommendation from the Esports Advisory Committee to prohibit the use of the character Steve during State Series competition of Super Smash Brothers.
4. The Board approved an International Student Program at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights.
APPEALS & ELIGIBILITY RULINGS
The Board heard two eligibility rulings virtually on March 13, 2023:
1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from A-C Central High School in Ashland. The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.030.
2. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Pittsfield High School. The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.030.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action was taken or action may not be required. The following is a report of those items from the March 11, 2023, agenda:
1. The IHSA Board of Directors discussed the current IHSA Boys & Girls Basketball State Final schedule and have asked the Basketball Advisory Committee to review.
2. The Board discussed an enrollment modification consideration brought forth by Carterville High School.
3. The Board discussed the current number of IHSA football officials.
4. The Board discussed staff and Board participation at the 2023 NFHS Summer Meeting.