With a majority of its schools either choosing not to start basketball next week or unsure if they will start, the IHSA has invited representatives from Governor Pritzker’s office and the IDPH, along with representatives from several other education associations to next Thursday’s scheduled board meeting.
The IHSA sent out a survey to its 813 member schools. It received 546 responses. Nearly 300 of those said their schools would not be starting basketball November 16, with another 212 saying they were unsure. That leaves somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 schools that responded to the survey who intend to play as scheduled. The biggest hurdle for schools is the potential liability involved in going against state guidelines, which creates issues with schools and their insurance carriers.
All this comes against the backdrop of rising numbers of confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19. The IHSA did advise those schools who plan to start practice Monday to adhere to the Level 1 mitigations like no contact practices until at least November 19.
The Board plans to provide more direction on basketball practice and games following its meeting next Thursday.
