Legislation Introduced To Counter IHSA Football By-Law

Illinois State Senator Shane Cultra (R-Onarga) has introduced legislation in the General Assembly which would affect football playing time of students that have returned from military training.

Cultra filed Senate Bill 2550 on Jan. 11, and was then read and referred to be assigned to a committee.

The Bill would give school boards the authority to override an Illinois High School Association by-law that requires students to attend 12 practices before playing in an IHSA regular season football contest.

The Bill's synopsis is as follows:

“Amends the School Code. Provides that if a student athlete has not met practice requirements for a high school sport due to the student's involvement in military training, then a waiver to participate in play in the regular season for that sport may be granted by the school board. Sets forth the waiver process. Provides for immunity from any liability for a coach, athletic director, school, school board, and school district with respect to the granting of a waiver.”

Also outlined is the process of how students that have undergone recent military training can apply for such a waiver. Ideally, the student must have had military training effect practice attendance at some point during the high school football season, which begins in early August.

Students can apply for the waiver through the school's head football coach or athletics director; one or both can review the waiver and present it to the school board for full approval.

According to a statement on Cultra's official Senate website, the legislator called the IHSA's decision “absurd.”

Edward Nuss, a senior at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School in Paxton, was penalized two games of participation by the IHSA for not meeting the minimum requirement for practices participated in before playing in a contest against its member schools.

Nuss - who resides in the Senate district that Cultra represents - appealed the IHSA ruling during the season, and the IHSA's Board of Directors upheld its ruling.

“Last fall, we had a case of an overactive bureaucracy at the IHSA. Essentially they penalized a three-letter sport athlete for enlisting in the military,” Cultra stated. “Quite frankly this is absurd; this individual successfully completed basic training, is fit enough to defend our nation, but somehow is unfit for football?”

The Bill has met opposition from the IHSA, citing its trust in medical professionals in creating the 12-day waiting period before contest participation.

The Association has also stated that the opposition to the Bill is a matter of athlete safety, and not athlete patriotism.

“This is very dangerous and counterproductive legislation,” stated IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman in a press release. “First and foremost, this is an issue of student health and safety, not an issue of patriotism. We all applaud and support young people who choose to serve our country. However, deferring this decision to a school board, which, generally speaking, has no medical training, is irresponsible at best.”

According to the IHSA, since the ruling on Nuss several similar appeals have been taken to the Association's Board of Directors – all having been denied with the recommendation of its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

“Our committee (primarily physicians and certified athletic trainers) has the training and background to make that judgment,” stated Hickman. “Their decision is supported by research and not fueled by emotion. More importantly, research tells us that heat illnesses are preventable. When you take into account all the positive steps forward that sports organizations around the world have made for athlete safety over the past decade, this bill would be a significant step backward for high school students in Illinois.”

The Bill was assigned to the Senate's Education Committee, where it will be looked at for future consideration.

“The IHSA took an approach that, in my opinion, discriminated against a young man who decided to serve his nation,” stated Cultra. “One would hope that the IHSA takes a serious look at this policy, before they taint yet another football season or volleyball season for a young person who chose to enlist.”

However, football is the only IHSA-sponsored sport that has a required practice participation threshold to meet before contest participation.

The IHSA's statement also includes the backing of the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association (IATC), the Illinois Athletic Directors Association (IADA) and the IHSA's own Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

-Cody