Rockford Paper: Lawmakers Need To Step Away From High School Sports

The Rockford Register Star is out with an editorial that advocates that lawmakers like State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia need to walk away from this IHSA mess they've created.

The Illinois High School Association encourages fair play and sportsmanship. Some members of the Illinois General Assembly do not seem to be particularly inclined to do so. 

The ongoing witch hunt some members of the legislature are intent on consummating even if they don’t find a broom will resume Friday in Chicago.That’s 4 p.m. Friday in the middle of football season — the middle of homecoming season. 

Plenty of IHSA supporters showed up to speak on the agency’s behalf during the first meeting in May. So many, in fact, that the meeting had to be moved to a bigger room. However, those supporters were not allowed to speak. Only IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman testified. 

This time, lawmakers made it difficult for IHSA allies to attend. How else do you explain the time and day? 

State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who chairs the House’s Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, is the inquisitor-in-chief. One of the goals of these meetings is to determine “the feasibility of statutorily transferring the duties and functions of the IHSA to the State Board of Education.”

And the Ed Board of the RR does a nice job of 'zinging' LaVia and her colleagues who have set up this sham effort to takeover the IHSA: 

If LaVia and like-minded lawmakers are worried about people getting paid too much, perhaps they should clean up their own house first. 

Illinois lawmakers are the fifth-highest paid in the nation and they get generous pensions as well. The annual salary is $67,836, but there are stipends for majority leaders, minority leaders, assistant leaders and so forth that drive those salaries up by as much as $27,476.

IHSA Calls Out Chapa LaVia On Her On Sham Hearing

Representative Linda Chapa LaVia has been feeling the heat on this IHSA sham she has in place for this afternoon.  Turns out, a staffer reached out to the IHSA and offered - if time permitted - the IHSA a chance for 'rebuttal'.

Yes...not testimony.  Not an opportunity to speak their piece.  Nope.  A 'rebuttal'.  Thus...confirming that this whole mess - orchestrated by State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia was rigged from the very beginning.

From the IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman on today's hearing:

“After the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced that it would not accept the invitation to attend the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee hearing scheduled for today (October 3), a committee spokesperson followed up on Wednesday and offered the IHSA an opportunity for a “rebuttal” at the conclusion of Friday’s hearing if time permitted. 

We appreciate the committee’s recognition of the flaw in the format of this hearing and the small concession they were willing to make. However, the verbiage “rebuttal” reaffirms our belief that this hearing isn’t about gathering information and that the witnesses have likely been selected based upon what they will say about, and against, the IHSA. 

Our suggestion to cancel Friday’s hearing, just as the July hearing was canceled, and rescheduling it with a more equitable format on a mutually agreeable date, time and location was not heeded. 

The decision to not accept the invitation to attend this hearing was done with careful consideration and the offer for a rebuttal did not change our position on attending. We believe that a hearing of this nature should be about open conversation and honest dialogue with the affected stakeholders. 

We believe that can and will occur, and remain open to it, whether it occurs in a hearing, or some other setting. We plan to review the hearing early next week and will respond if warranted.”

IHSA Is Taking It's Ball And Going Home

The IHSA has had enough with Representative Linda Chapa LaVia's shenanigans and has decided to just not attend the kangaroo court that Chapa LaVia has set up.

They've (rightfully) pointed this out as a waste of time but to date, Representative Linda Chapa Lavia hasn't changed her mind.  Shame on her.

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced today that it will have no official presence at Friday’s Elementary & Secondary Education Committee hearing. The notice came via a video announcement to member schools from Executive Director Marty Hickman on Monday after he was informed that the IHSA will be unable to testify or call witnesses during the hearing. 

“No one with a sense of fairness would schedule a meeting like this and there is no reason for IHSA supporters to waste their time and money to attend,” said Hickman. “We plan to let the 700-plus IHSA supporters who have voted online in opposition of these hearings and the 25 pages of testimony they submitted on our behalf speak for us in absentia on Friday.” 

The timing of the hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, October 3 at 4:00 p.m. at South Shore High School in Chicago, has drawn the ire of IHSA member schools, media like the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as committee member Barbara Wheeler. In a press release last week, Wheeler called the timing of the hearing “political shenanigans”, pointing out that it is scheduled for a time that will make it difficult for IHSA supporters to attend. 

In the video statement, Hickman went on to say “the process used by Representative Chapa LaVia is counter to every principle of fundamental fairness high school students learn when they participate in the interscholastic programs at their school. This process is like teaching students that you can silence your critics by setting up rules that don’t let them have a voice.” 

The committee revealed Monday that it will call four witnesses during the hearing, all which appear to be related to catastrophic injuries in high school sports. Last October, the IHSA worked with State Representative Will Davis and Illinois State Senator Napolean Harris on “Rocky’s Law”, which requires high schools in Illinois to provide minimum catastrophic insurance coverage to student-athletes. The IHSA facilitated coverage options for schools and monitored member school compliance with the law. The IHSA has independently provided catastrophic insurance coverage for student-athletes competing in postseason IHSA State Series events for several decades.

Timing of Representative Chapa LaVia's IHSA Hearing "Curious"

We're not the only one who thinks scheduling a 'hearing' about high school sports on a Friday late afternoon during football season 'stinks' of bad government.  Mike Clark at the Sun-Times points out how this is a ruse that was set up to restrict dissent from interested parties:

Chapa LaVia promised two more hearings, one in Chicago and another downstate. The former was scheduled for July 8 downtown, but then postponed. It is finally going to be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at South Shore International High School on the Southeast Side. 

The timing and location are curious. In politics, this is called a “news dump,” when someone in government schedules a press conference or releases information at the end of the work week in the hope no one pays attention. 

Holding the hearing a few hours before football games kick off around the state — and while some are actually going on in Chicago — guarantees there won’t be as many IHSA-backing principals and athletic directors on hand as last time. The location, at a neighborhood school not close to any expressways, also discourages attendance.

Representative Linda Chapa LaVia Doesn't Always Schedule IHSA Hearings...

But when she does...she makes sure they're on a Friday during high school football season so no parents or coaches or stakeholders can attend.

Don't let this happen.

Join State Representative Barbara Wheeler in asking Representative Linda Chapa-Lavia re-schedule the meeting.

You can email her at: Chapa-laviali@ilga.gov or call her at her district office at (630) 264-6855.

Ask Rep Chapa-LaVia To Reschedule IHSA Hearing TODAY!

When's The Worst Time To Schedule An IHSA Hearing?

We might have found it:  a Friday afternoon during high school football season that likely is *somebody's* Homecoming.

But..that's what is happening.  And...it stinks of 'shenanigans'.   There's a committee in the House that wants to take up discussion about the 'feasiblity of the State Board of Education taking over the functions of the IHSA (Illinois High School Athletics Association).  (Shouldn't it be IHSAA?!?   nevermind...)

And that committee, chaired by Democrat State Representative Linda Chapa-LaVia has called a meeting for 4:00 pm TODAY (Friday) at a Chicago school to gather testimony.

And State Representative Barbara Wheeler thinks the timing 'stinks'.  And she's right:

“This is a blatant example of political shenanigans at its finest,” said Wheeler, a member of the committee. “This is a late Friday afternoon on a football Friday during Homecoming season. All schools are going to be ‘all hands on deck’ with their local sporting events and will be unable to send representation to the hearing.”

“They could not possibly have made this hearing more inconvenient for the major stakeholders who stand to lose the most,” said Wheeler. “Families, coaches, volunteers and players will be busy that night with local sporting events, but I believe it’s by design. I must wonder if they want to shut the major stakeholders out of the discussion.”

Join State Representative Barbara Wheeler in asking Representative Linda Chapa-Lavia re-schedule the meeting.

The only reason to have the meeting today is because the powers-that-be don't really want testimony.  They want to accomplish their goals without getting the important stakeholders that disagree with them to stay silent.

We can't let that happen.

You can email her at: Chapa-laviali@ilga.gov or call her at her district office at (630) 264-6855.