How CPS football teams could practice during the…

How CPS football teams could practice during the Chicago teachers strike

Payton’s Sage Shindler (9) celebrates with his team after winning the game against Clark. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

The Illinois High School Association’s bylaws do allow for football teams to practice during a teachers strike.

The practices must be approved by the local board of education, in this case Chicago Public Schools, as well as school administrators. The practices must be conducted by coaches that meet the IHSA’s qualification of coaches bylaw, which is below.

Several of the 19 teams, including Phillips, Taft, Payton and Kenwood have non-Chicago Teachers Union coaches that meet that criteria. It’s possible not all the teams have coaches that could step in.

Payton football coach George Klupchak began drawing attention to the possibility on Twitter on Tuesday night.

At 9:18 you mention Simeon. Practices are cancelled for the duration of the strike. However, If Simeon cannot officially practice Wed, Th, and Fri, they are ineligible to compete in the playoffs. They COULD practice Wed with non-CTU coaches, BUT it requires school board approval https://t.co/Fe3E2LiqQH pic.twitter.com/lLZPJnqj2P
— Payton Prep Football (@PaytonPrepFtbl) October 30, 2019

“If the strike is going to end Friday and the Board of Education didn’t give us a chance to practice the last three days that would be a shame,” Klupchak said. “We are planning to meet at 7:30 tonight, hoping the strike is over or the Board of Education realizes that they can let us practice.”

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.

IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha said Tuesday afternoon that it would be possible for football teams to practice on Wednesday even though classes were canceled due to the strike.

“If [the CPS and CTU] settle late [Tuesday] or at a reasonable time [Wednesday] for the teams to gather and practice, that would meet our policy,” Troha said.

The IHSA is expected to release what that “reasonable time” is later today.