MT. VERNON, IL — The back and forth between the IHSA and Governor JB Pritzker on whether or not to play basketball this fall was a major topic of discussion at the end of October. First, the governor said the basketball season will be put on hold, the IHSA countered that the season will start November 16th. That led the governor to come back and announce that the season will be pushed to the spring. However, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson says basketball can be played safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. So now the decision to play or not will be in the hands of each individual school board.
Mt. Vernon Township High School Superintendent Melanie Andrews says everything could change between now and the next school board meeting where the decision would be made on whether or not to play.
The next MVTHS board meeting is set for November 16th.
Not long after the IHSA took their stand against Governor Pritzker and the IDPH, the Chicago Public Schools system came out and said they would wait to hold their basketball season until the spring. With the majority of those schools being in Class 3 and 4A, Superintendent Andrews says this will cause some major scheduling headaches, especially come postseason time, if southern Illinois schools decide to play in the fall.
The Illinois State Board of Education sent a letter to school administrators saying while they understood the importance of sports in the lives of students, they urged principals and superintendents to “prioritize health and safety.” “Defying the state’s public health guidance opens schools up to liability and other ramifications that may negatively impact school communities.”
You can hear the full interview with Superintendent Melanie Andrews on both the Saturday Sports Show (8am) and the Southern Illinois Insider (11am) this Saturday and Sunday on AM940, 94.1/96.5FM, WMIX.