IHSA Announcements
December 18, 1997
Member Schools Approve Five Amendment Proposals
BLOOMINGTON — All five (5) of the proposals on the annual referendum ballot of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) were approved by the membership, according to a tally of the votes on each different proposal counted in the IHSA Office Thursday (Dec. 18).
See the detailed descriptions below for information on each proposal.
Amend Section 2.080 of the By-laws
Submitted by Pat Sullivan, Roxana
Section 2.080 of the By-laws currently reads:
2.080 Selection and Use of Registered Officials
The names of game officials for a sport in which registration is required must be submitted to the visiting school not later than five school days before such contest and must be mutually agreed upon not later than the night preceding the contest. All major officials for athletic contests must be registered with the IHSA in the sport the individual is to officiate. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for registration policies and procedures. The requirement to be registered is not applicable to officials working without compensation.
Amend Section 2.080 of the By-laws to read (as revised by the Legislative Commission with the consent of the submitting principal):
All major officials for athletic contests must be licensed with the IHSA in the sport the individual is to officiate, except that in the event contracted officials do not appear for a contest below varsity level, and with mutual consent by all competing schools, members of the coaching staff, faculty, and/or administrative staff of any of the competing schools may officiate the contest. The Board of Directors shall be responsible to establish policies and procedures governing the licensing process.
The names of game officials for each interscholastic athletic contest must be submitted by the host school to the visiting school not later than five school days before such contest and must be mutually agreed upon not later than the night preceding the contest.
Rationale of Submitter
The current provision that non-licensed officials may be used for interscholastic contests if they are not compensated undermines the Association's efforts to recruit and train officials. This proposal eliminates the option to use non-compensated officials who are not licensed. Furthermore, upon legal advice, we now use the term "licensed" rather than the term "registered" in describing the service provided by the Association to officials. This proposal implements this formal change in terminology into the governing by-law.
Arguments in Favor of the Proposal:
1. Would implement current terms used in regard to "licensing" officials.
2. Would support the Association's training requirements for officials.
3. Would enhance protections against involvement by abusive persons in high school officiating.
Arguments Opposed to the Proposal:
1. Would severely restrict the option to conduct contests with "make-shift" officials in the event regular officials do not appear, etc.
2. Would be counter-productive rather than supportive to efforts to upgrade officiating requirements.
Action: Recommended for referral to the Association membership by a vote of 26-1.
Ballot Results: Yes - 326; No - 197
Amend Section 2.130 of the By-laws by Adding a New Sub-Section 2.130.3
Submitted by Ron Ganschinietz, Collinsville
Section 2.130 of the By-laws currently reads:
2.130 No team or other entity representing a member school may participate in an interscholastic contest or activity during the time the member school is not in session due to a strike by teachers or other school personnel. A member school shall not be considered to be in legal session on any school day if it does not have fifty-one (51%) of the students in the district in attendance and cannot offer the minimum program required by state law and ISBE Circular Series A160 on a daily basis.
2.130.1 This limitation shall not pertain to time designated by the member school's governing board as school holidays or vacation, including the days designated by the Illinois School Code as emergency days, provided school is in full operation on the school day preceding the school holiday, vacation or emergency day.
2.130.2 Practice sessions of normal length and frequency may be held during the period when school is not fully operating, under the provided the following conditions are met:
1. They must be approved by the school's governing board and administration;
2. They must be conducted by personnel who meet the provisions of By-law 2.070;
3. They must be conducted in a manner which assures the health and safety of the participants;
4. Students from a school on strike may not participate with a team from a school which is not on strike.
Add a new Sub-Section 2.130.3 of the By-laws to read (as revised by the Legislative Commission with the consent of the submitting principal):
2.130.3 A school which has a football game scheduled with a school which is on strike on the Monday preceding the scheduled game shall have the option to cancel the game with the striking school and schedule a game with another school provided it has a pending alternative contract. If this option is exercised, the striking school shall forfeit the scheduled contest and receive a forfeit loss. The non-striking school shall receive a forfeit win and may play the alternate contest, which shall not count as a win or loss for the non-striking school.
Rationale of Submitter
A school not on strike that has a game scheduled with a school on strike, in most cases, cannot schedule another opponent early in the week. If another opponent is found early in the week, then the school can proceed with normal game preparations.
It is awkward to prepare early in the week for a school that is on strike and the strike continues all week. The result is to then try and find another opponent late in the week with little or no time to prepare for the game or to not play a game. Either case does not lend itself to a coach's season-long developmental plan for his team. The end result is that the team for the school not on strike is negatively impacted by another school's strike.
Arguments in Favor of the Proposal:
1. Would protect the innocent school in a case where a strike prevented a contest from being played.
Arguments Opposed to the Proposal:
1. Would remove protections a striking school has under the current rules.
Action: Recommended for referral to the Association membership by a vote of 24-3
Ballot Results: Yes - 396; No - 129
Amend Sections 3031.1, 3032.1, and 3.033.1 of the By-laws
Submitted by Dennis Garber, Principal, Hoffman Estates (H.S.)
Section 3.031.1 of the By-laws currently reads:
3.031.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, within the boundaries of the public school district in which the high school they attend is located.
Section 3.032.1 of the By-laws currently reads:
3.032.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, within the boundaries of the public high school district in which the private high school they attend is located.
Section 3.033.1 of the By-laws currently reads:
3.033.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, within the boundaries of the public high school district in which the non-boundaried public high school they attend is located.
Amend Section 3.031 of the By-laws to read:
3.031.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, or they currently and for at least the last two years prior to the student's enrolling in high school, have lived with another family member or relative who has provided full support and adult supervision for the student, as though they were the guardian, within the boundaries of the public school district in which the high school they attend is located.
Amend Section 3.032.1 of the By-laws to read:
3.032.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, or they currently and for at least the last two years prior to the student's enrolling in high school, have lived with another family member or relative who has provided full support and adult supervision for the student, as though they were the guardian, within the boundaries of the public high school district in which the private high school they attend is located.
Amend Section 3.033.1 of the By-laws to read:
3.033.1 They reside full time with their parents, custodial parent or guardian appointed by a judge of a court having proper jurisdiction, or they currently and for at least the last two years prior to the student's enrolling in high school, have lived with another family member or relative who has provided full support and adult supervision for the student, as though they were the guardian, within the boundaries of the public high school district in which the non-boundaried public high school they attend is located.
(This proposal will become effective 30 days after adoption by the membership.)
Rationale of Submitter
Students who have been in a stable family relationship for the previous two years are not manipulating their living arrangements for purposes of athletics. This is a reasonable parameter to draw in a society where children often live with individuals who are not parents, custodial parents or court appointed guardians, and it is sufficient protection against abuses of the residence rules for athletic purposes.
Arguments in Favor of the Proposal:
1. Would provide a more reasonable mechanism for dealing with residence eligibility in non-traditional family situations, while maintaining sufficient protection against abuses.
Arguments Opposed to the Proposal:
1. Would be difficult to document and monitor.
Action: Recommended for referral to the Association membership by a vote of 27-0.
Ballot Results: Yes - 440; No - 86
Add Section 3.044 of the By-laws
Submitted by Greg Bradley, Mt. Zion
Add Section 3.044 of the By-laws to read:
3.044 The member school to which a student transfers shall enforce any period of ineligibility imposed upon the student prior to the transfer by the school from which the student is transferring, even if the student is otherwise eligible under these by-laws. The period of ineligibility at the school to which the student transfers shall be the remaining duration of the period of ineligibility imposed, but not longer than 365 days after the date of the transfer, whichever is less.
Rationale of Submitter
Under the current by-laws, it is possible for students to avoid the consequences of athletic code violations by transferring to another school. This sends a very negative message to the students who do abide by their schools' athletic codes. It certainly detracts from the Association's commitment to sportsmanship and the advancement of the highest ethical standards for interscholastic athletic competition. This proposal would empower the Association to support its member schools and their disciplinary actions in their interscholastic athletic programs in a substantial manner.
Arguments in Favor of the Proposal:
1. Would deter transfers to avoid the consequences of disciplinary incidents or other incidents which render a student ineligible.
Arguments Opposed to the Proposal:
1. Would extend ineligibility to both disciplinary issues and to matters of compliance with non-disciplinary school policies, such as academic standards, etc. Thus, would be excessively broad.
Action: Recommended for referral to the Association membership by a vote of 20-6.
Ballot Results: Yes - 383; No - 142
Add Sections 5.350 and 5.360 of the By-laws
Submitted by John Davis, Mundelein (H.S.)
Add Section 5.350 to read:
Section 5.350 Boys Water Polo
5.351 Season Limitation
a. No school belonging to this Association shall organize its Boys Water Polo teams, practice or participate in interscholastic contests earlier than Monday of Week 35 or later than Saturday of Week 45 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
b. A member school may conduct its first interscholastic contest in Boys Water Polo no earlier than Week 36 of the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
5.352 Contest Limitations
No Boys Water Polo team representing a member shall, in any one season, participate in more than thirty (30) games, exclusive of the IHSA series.
Add Section 5.450 to read:
Section 5.450 Girls Water Polo
5.451 Season Limitation
a. No school belonging to this Association shall organize its Girls Water Polo teams, practice or participate in interscholastic contests earlier than Monday of Week 35 or later than Saturday of Week 45 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
b. A member school may conduct its first interscholastic contest in Girls Water Polo no earlier than Week 36 of the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
5.452 Contest Limitations
No Girls Water Polo team representing a member shall, in any one season, participate in more than thirty (30) games, exclusive of the IHSA series.
Rationale of Submitter
With the increased participation in Boys and Girls Water Polo, we feel that it is necessary to initiate IHSA By-law and state tournament controls for these two sports.
Arguments in Favor of the Proposal:
1. Would establish a season and contest limit structure under which water polo can grow toward having a state tournament series.
2. Would accommodate growth that insures equal opportunity for boys and girls.
Arguments Opposed to the Proposal:
1. Would permit too many games in a short season.
2. Would foster pressure from other sports to have a corollary activity to the sport that can develop prospective participants, like water polo can for swimming.
Action: Recommended for referral to the Association membership by a vote of 22-1-4.
Ballot Results: Yes - 358; No - 116