Here’s what happens next as Illinois works to get high school sports back on the field
The return of high school sports in Illinois took its first step of becoming a reality earlier this month when the Illinois High School Association approved Return to Play Guidelines developed within the current structure of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.
Now it’s on to Stage 2.
The IHSA Board of Directors, as part of their June meeting on Monday, approved Stage 2 of its Return To Play Guidelines. They were sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health for review and hopefully eventual approval.
Belleville West athletic director Lee Meyer said things look positive Illinois will have sports this fall.
“It’s definitely encouraging. We are again optimistic of moving forward to the next stage with the increased numbers in groups, use of sport specific equipment and allowing competition,” Meyer said. “We had a virtual coaches meeting this morning and our coaches are really excited again and eager to get back with their athletes. The main thing is we are going in the right direction to be able to play games and hopefully compete again this fall.
“If our program and programs across the state keep working hard at going about the guidelines correctly, we should be in good shape. Our student-athletes and staff are looking forward to it and ready to go.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no high school sports have been played in the state since March 12 when the IHSA canceled the Class 1-2A boys state basketball tournament as well as the Class 3-4A sectional title games.
Following is a draft of the Stage 2 Return to Play Guidelines which the IDPH still must approve.
IHSA Stage 2 Return to Play Plan
As a result of the governor’s Restore Illinois Plan, as regions reach Phase 4 on June 26 or after, IHSA member schools are permitted to begin use of voluntary summer contact days. School districts should work with their local health departments on current restrictions in their area prior to beginning contact.
Local school administration determines the permitted activities at their school. Prioritizing the health and safety of all students and staff must remain the focus of each IHSA member school.
The following are best practices when conducting summer contact days:
Students are limited to five hours of participation per day.
Pre-Workout
- Schools must maintain a daily record of what athletes are participating, when, symptoms they may present
- Athletes should be screened at the start of practice for temperature >100.4F/37C or symptoms of COVID-19 (fevers, chills, cough, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell).
- Any person with symptoms (refer to attached form) or a positive COVID-19 test, should not participate in practice, competition, or conditioning and should be referred to a physician for evaluation and only return after clearance to do so from a physician.
- Signage about symptoms and transmission of COVID-19 should be posted around facilities.
- Gatherings of up to 50 individuals, indoors or outdoors, are allowed. Thirty feet of space must be maintained between gatherings of 50.
- When students are not actively participating in a drill, practice, or contest, care should be taken to maintain social distance between individuals.
- If locker rooms are a necessity, capacity should be limited to ensure members can maintain 6 ft of social distance.
- Individuals should sanitize or wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap before touching any surfaces or participating in workouts.
- Appropriate clothing/shoes should be worn at all times in the weight room to minimize sweat from transmitting onto equipment/surfaces.
- Students must be encouraged to shower and wash their workout clothing immediately upon returning to home.
Facilities Cleaning
- Adequate cleaning schedules, before and after each use by a group of athletes, should be created and implemented for all athletic facilities to mitigate anycommunicable diseases.
- Prior to an individual or groups of individuals entering a facility, hard surfaces within that facility should be wiped down and sanitized (chairs, furniture in meetingrooms, locker rooms, weight room equipment, bathrooms, athletic training room tables, etc.
- Hand sanitizer should be plentiful and available to individuals as they transfer from place to place.
- Weight equipment should be wiped down thoroughly before and after an individual’s use of equipment.Please see ISBE and CDC for more cleaning details.
Physical Activity and Athletic Equipment:
- When a region reaches Phase 4, summer contact days will begin. Coaches are encouraged to use a staged approach to build back up to full summer contact activity and competitions. Local districts should work with their health departments and local school officials to make decisions about team travel to summer competitions.
- Athletes who did not participate in Stage 1, are encouraged to follow the fall acclimatization schedule for any sport.
- Football players should maintain their summer acclimatization schedule, per IHSA By-Law 3.157.
- There should be no shared athletic towels, clothing, or shoes between students.
- Hand sanitizer or hand washing stations should be plentiful at summer contact events.
- Athletic equipment such as bats, batting helmets and catchers gear should be cleaned between each use. Other equipment, such as hockey helmets/pads, wrestling gear guards, football helmets/other pads, lacrosse helmets/pads/gloves/eyewear should be worn by only one individual and not shared.
- Shared equipment such as athletic balls, thud pads, sleds should be cleaned frequently during practice and competitions.
- In Stage 2 spotters for weightlifting are allowed. Maximum lifts should be done only with power cages for squats and bench presses. Spotters should stand at each end of the bar.
Hydration
- All students shall bring their own water bottle. Water bottles must not be shared.
- Hydration stations (water cows, water trough, water fountains, etc.) may be utilized to fill individual water bottles but must be cleaned after every practice/contest.
Contests
- Group sizes should be limited to 50 total participants, coaches, and referees (i.e. excludes spectators).
- Any additional team members can sit on the sidelines 6 feet apart from one another.
- During the use of summer contact days, multiple groups of 50 or fewer participants are permitted in a facility at once as long as: facilities allow for social distancing of students, coaches, and spectators; 30-ft of distancing is maintained between groups/ opposing teams on the sidelines, and areas for each group are clearly marked to discourage interaction between groups outside of competitive game play.
- Schools must have information posted at entrances and around facilities explaining the transmission as well as symptoms of COVID-19, encouraging all visitors to maintain social distance, and reminding people to stay home if they feel sick or have any of the symptoms of COVID-19: temperature >100.4F/37C, fevers, chills,cough, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell.
- If schools choose to permit spectators, there should be a designated area for spectators with existing seating capped at 20% of capacity.
- Visual markers shall be displayed at queue points (check-ins, along sidelines, concessions, bleachers, etc.) to help people maintain social distance.
- Concession stands may open in line with restaurant businesses physical workspace guidelines.
- Encourage spectators to bring their own chairs from home for outdoor activities.
- No handshakes, high fives, fist bumps, hugs, etc. can occur pre- or post-match.
- No spitting or blowing of the nose without the use of a tissue is allowed.
PPE
- Coaches/ participants/ volunteers may choose to wear a mask.
- Officials may choose to wear a mask and use an electronic whistle (no blow horns).
It is the responsibility of each IHSA member school to comply with the above requirements.
If available, it is encouraged an athletic trainer or medical personnel be available for workouts. They should be masked for any interactions with athletes and maintain appropriate social distance when feasible.
Any person with positive symptoms reported should not be allowed to take part in workouts and should contact his or her primary care provider or other appropriate health care professional
.Should the conditions warrant, these requirements will be adjusted. Any further official updates will be posted on IHSA.org.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
