Chicago Public Schools will allow CPS football teams to practice during the strike. CPS Athletic Administration requested the move and received approval from the Board of Education on Wednesday.
The Illinois High School Association will allow the practices as long as the coaches meet IHSA certification by-laws.
This eliminates the need for the strike to end Wednesday for the football teams to play the first round state playoff games. The teams now have until Friday afternoon or evening.
Ag. Science, Phillips, Taft, Payton, Kenwood, Amundsen, Simeon, Morgan Park and Hyde Park have all confirmed that they have certified, non-Chicago Teachers Union coaches to run the football practices. It’s possible not all the teams have coaches that could step in.
The IHSA’s bylaws require a football team to have three practices before playing a game if the team hasn’t practiced in seven days. CPS teams have now missed 11 days of practice due to the strike, so the rule kicks in. Unless the teams practice on Wednesday they will not have enough days to get three practices in before the playoff games on Saturday.
“CPS and CTU need to lock the doors and this time be true to their words,” Phillips coach Troy McAllister said. “The other night they said they wouldn’t leave and a few hours later they left. And not just for the football players. An agreement needs to be made.”
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said on Wednesday that “an exact timeline for determining the forfeit deadline will be announced later this week.”
The IHSA forfeited games in the other sports on the day the state playoffs began. For football that is Friday at 6 p.m.
CPS golf, soccer, tennis and cross-country teams were forced to forfeit their playoffs last week. Fifty-six schools forfeited girls volleyball state playoff games on Monday. Nearly 3,000 CPS students have had their state playoffs forfeited because of the strike.
CPS teams in state playoff games
Class 8A
Taft at Huntley
Curie at Homewood-Flossmoor
Class 7A
Lincoln-Way West at Phillips
Lincoln Park at Rolling Meadows
Class 6A
Lakes at Simeon
Mather at Antioch
Riverside-Brookfield at Kenwood
Morgan Park at East St. Louis
Class 5A
Fenwick at Payton
Hyde Park at Rockford Boylan
Marmion at Amundsen
Class 4A
Phoenix at Coal City
Kewanee at Ag. Science
Clark at St. Francis
Sullivan at IC Catholic
Class 3A
Carver at Paxton-Buckley-Loda
Harlan at Durand
Dunbar at Eureka
Class 2A
Orr at St. Edward
