The Illinois High School Association’s Legislative Commission voted Monday (Nov. 25) to advance nine proposals amending the IHSA Constitution and By-laws to a vote of the general membership. The Commission voted after hearing feedback from member school personnel at 28 town meetings held in-person around the state during the month of November.
The ballot containing the proposals will be available to each member school’s official representative in the IHSA’s online Schools Center, beginning Monday, December 2. The deadline to submit the ballot is midnight, Monday, December 16. The ballots are expected to be tabulated, and the results posted on Tuesday, December 17. Schools may vote in favor, against, or no opinion on each proposal. A simple majority of yes or no votes cast will determine whether each proposal passes. Proposals that receive the simple majority vote from the IHSA membership will go into effect on July 1, unless another date is noted within the proposal. All language from the original 25 proposals can be found here.
Here is a summary of the proposals on the all-school ballot:
- Proposal 4: Allows the IHSA Executive Director to appoint Associate Directors to make eligibility rulings. Also allows the IHSA Board of Directors to appoint a committee of three Board members to review eligibility appeals.
- Proposal 6: Adds penalties for officials working as unlicensed officials and for assignors (where used by member schools) when an unlicensed official is assigned to work a contest. No penalties to the school when using an assignor and for a first-time offense.
- Proposal 7: Modifies the IHSA travel policy. Currently, a team can miss two days of school on two occasions during a season. This change would allow for the four days to be used concurrently.
- Proposal: 16: Modifies the All-Star limitation by-law to be in place during the school year only.
- Proposal 17: Modifies the number of summer contact days restriction from 25 to 20 days.
- Proposal 20: Adds specific penalties for a school that violates the season limitation in any sport. Penalties include coaches being suspended for the entirety of the State Series. Forfeiture of host guarantee and probation.
- Proposal 24: Increase the number of regular season contests in competitive cheerleading and competitive dance from 6 to 8 dates.
- Proposal 25: Modifies the suspension for ejection of unsportsmanlike conduct by players in football to be ineligible for the remainder of the quarter
they are ejected and the next four (4) quarters at that level and all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim, in addition to
other penalties by IHSA or the school may assess.
- Proposal 26: Change most references in the constitution and by-laws of “principal” and “administrator,” to "Official Representative".