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133Condensed Version1. If contest officials witness hate speech or an act of harassment it shall be penalized by an IMMEDIATE EJECTION.2. If contest officials do not witness hate speech or an act of harassment, the target will inform their coach of what happened.3. Coach tells official and play stops. Teams return to their benches. Official meets with alleged offender and opposing coach.a. If admittance, ejection from contest, suspension for next contest and subject to school discipline for hate speech. If official hears use of hate speech, they must submit written documentation of what they heard to be included in the IHSAspecial report.b. If no admittance, remind of consequences.Target informed and told to continue telling coach if offense continues. Coach continues to inform official and opposing coachduring natural break in play.4. Coaches inform ADs within 24 hours of the incident. The AD meets with any athlete identified as possibly using hate speech oralleging the use of hate speech, and the other AD meets with the target.5. If nothing is said until after the contest, coach informs AD who relays information to opposing AD. Both ADs meet with participants and communicate their findings back to the other AD.6. The ADs inform the IHSA Administrator of the incident and document the incident using the IHSA Special Report for Hate Speech and Harassment option.41. OFFICIALS’ RATINGS REQUIREMENTS AND PENALTIESNo later than one week before seeding begins for any IHSA bracketed team state series, or, in non-bracketed state series, no later than one week before a school completes any online end of season forms, a member school entered in particular state series is required to have made a pre-determined number of officials’ ratings in that sport for the current season in order to avoid being penalized inthe manner described below. If a school will not have played enough contests to provide the required number of ratings before the prescribed date, the school may request a variance from the IHSA to provide a lesser number of ratings and not be penalized. The number of required ratings will increase every two years, with the ultimate goal of having schools provide 80% of the expected ratingsby the required date. IHSA staff will communicate with member schools and coaches to apprise them of the yearly expectations each year.Ratings Requirements for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026Sport Number of Ratings DeadlineBoys Soccer 30 ratings September 26 Girls Volleyball 30 ratings October 3 Football 5 games October 25Girls Swimming & Diving 10 ratings October 30Girls Gymnastics 7 ratings January 13Competitive Dance 12 ratings January 16Competitive Cheerleading 12 ratings January 23Girls Wrestling 10 ratings January 22Boys Wrestling 15 ratings January 30Girls Basketball 30 ratings January 30Boys Basketball 30 ratings February 6Boys Swimming & Diving 10 ratings February 12Boys & Girls Water Polo 10 ratings April 17Girls Track and Field 7 ratings May 4Boys Track and Field 7 ratings May 11Boys & Girls Lacrosse 10 ratings May 8Girls Soccer 30 ratings April 24Softball (Cl. 1A/2A) 30 ratings April 29 Softball (Cl. 3A/4A) 30 ratings May 6Baseball (Cl. 1A/2A) 30 ratings April 29Baseball (Cl. 3A/4A) 30 ratings May 6Boys Volleyball 30 ratings April 29Effective with the 2025-2026 school year, should a member school fail to make the necessary number of ratings by the pre-determined date, the school will be placed ‘on notice’. Being placed ‘on notice’ means that the school will be required to make the necessarynumber of ratings in the next season of the sport, or, if they fail to do so, the head coach will be suspended from coaching in the firstround of the state series in that sport that season. Should a member school fail to make the necessary number of ratings for three consecutive years in a particular sport, the school’s head coach will not be allowed to participate in the state series until such timewhen the coach/school makes the required number of ratings by the prescribed date. If a school changes coaches when in the penalty portal, the new coach will start with a clean slate. School administration will be required to notify the IHSA Office of the coachingchange.