April 29, 2003
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors addressed changes in its makeup and tied up loose ends at its regular meeting in the IHSA office Tuesday (April 29).
The Board accepted the resignations of three of its members Tuesday.
Board vice president Emmett Aubry, principal of Geneseo (Darnall), will become superintendent at Warrensburg-Latham. Aubry was elected to the Board in 2000. He will continue to represent Division 4 until July 1. Named to replace Aubry is Rochelle Principal Todd Prusator. He was first elected to the IHSA Legislative Commission in 2000, and represents District No. 10.
At-Large member and Board secretary Catherine Finch, principal at Winnebago, has resigned effective immediately. Mrs. Finch was elected to her At-Large seat on the board in 2001. She was elected to the seat for the underrepresented gender. Her replacement will be named by the Board prior to July 1.
Dr. Jerry Crabtree, principal of Normal (Community West), will retire as principal of his school in June. Crabtree was elected to a one-year term representing Division 5 in October of 2002. He will serve on the Board until July 1. Named to replace Dr. Crabtree is Coal City Principal Pat Halloran, who is in his second term as a member of the IHSA Legislative Commission. Halloran was first elected to the Commission in 1998, and was re-elected in 2001 representing District No. 14. He served as chairman of the commission at the 2002 meeting.
The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled June 16, 2003.
Other Action
Emerging Sports Policy: The Board voted to suspend its Emerging Sports Policy effective immediately.
State Final Awards: The Board approved awarding a medallion to the superintendent/president of the state final trophy winning teams beginning with the (next) 2003-04 school term.
Personnel Policy: The Board approved the IHSA Personnel Policy for the (next) 2003-04 school term.
By-Law Interpretations: The Board approved several more by-law interpretations regarding competitive cheerleading. The prohibition of competitive cheerleading teams attending camps or clinics after Saturday of week 4 in the Standardized Calendar will not apply during August of 2003. Implementation of this interpretation begins July 1, 2004. The other two are now in effect.
15Q. May students who are members of a competitive cheer team participate in tumbling classes during the school year?
A. Yes, provided there is no instruction related to the theories and strategies of competitive cheer.
16Q. Does the twenty-five day contact limit apply to competitive cheer in the summer?
A. No. Since there are no practice limitations in the competitive cheer by-law, the twenty-five day contact rule does not apply.
17Q. May a competitive cheer squad attend a cheerleading camp after Saturday of Week No. 4 in the standardized calendar?
A. No. IHSA By-law 3.112 prohibits students from attending coaching schools, camps or clinics after Saturday of week 4. (Implementation date July 1, 2004)
Football Coop Team: The Board approved the dissolution of a cooperative team in football between LaMoille and DePue after only one year. The coop did not field a varsity team last fall. Representatives of the schools met with the Board Tuesday.
Eligibility Decisions
Discussion Items
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain agenda items the Board discusses, but upon which it takes no action. Following is a report of those on the April 2003, agenda:
No Child Left Behind Act: The Board reviewed the impact of this legislation on IHSA by-laws regarding transfer and residence.
National Federation Summer Meeting: The 84th Summer Meeting of the National Federation of State High School Associations will be held June 27-July 2 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. IHSA and the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) are host associations for the event. The Board discussed plans for the hospitality booth to be staffed by personnel from IHSA and IESA.
Classification Policy: The Board discussed the difficulty IHSA is having with the Illinois State Board of Education in obtaining the Sept. 30 enrollment of member schools. The Sept. 30 enrollment is the one used for purposes of school classification in the state series. They discussed possible alternative methods for obtaining member schools enrollment for use in classification. One of the alternative methods would be to require member schools to provide the IHSA with a copy of their Sept. 30 Housing Report to the State Board of Education.
Class AA Boys Baseball State Final Site: The Board approved returning the tournament to Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva for the remaining years of the current contract, which expires in 2005. Because of a scheduling conflict, this year's Class AA Boys Baseball State Final Tournament will be held at Hawkinson Ford Field in Crestwood.
Girls Golf State Final Site: The Board heard a report that 11 proposals from communities throughout the state to host the Girls State Final Golf Tournament have been received in the IHSA Office. Once the proposals have been analyzed, the Board will approve the site. The Board indicated it would make this decision via a conference phone call meeting prior to the conclusion of the current school term.