The Illinois House gave its approval recently to legislation that would give high school athletes a limited right to compete in non-school events or on non-school teams during the same season in which they play for their school.

The House voted 68-39 on April 9 to pass a scaled-back version of a bill known as the Right to Play Act. It would partially override an existing rule of the Illinois High School Association that says students who participate on a school team may not also participate on a non-school team or compete in outside tournaments or events in the same sport during the same season, unless they obtain permission from both their school and IHSA.

The IHSA currently allows students to obtain as many as three waivers in a season to compete in outside contests or tournaments if those events are sanctioned by the sport’s national governing body.

Under the amended bill, student athletes would be able to obtain waivers for as many as two outside events per year – including “all-star team” events. But they would only need the agreement of their school’s principal or athletics director, not the IHSA. The bill also would not require the events to be sanctioned by any official governing body.

That is significantly more restrictive than the original bill, which would have removed the prohibition on simultaneous participation almost entirely. It would have prohibited participating in both a school competition or practice and a non-school activity on the same day.

That proposal passed out of the House Education Policy Committee in March despite warnings from critics that allowing unrestricted dual participation could endanger the health and safety of athletes while also setting up the possibility of conflict between a school coach and non-school coach.

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said his association still opposes the proposed legislation because it puts school principals and athletic directors in charge of deciding whether a student should be granted a waiver.

“It’s my understanding that the schools prefer a process whereby review of such participation is considered by the IHSA to create equity in opportunities across the membership,” Anderson said.

The bill now awaits further action in the Illinois Senate.

(article courtesy of Capitol News Illinois)