Rock Valley Publishing
Thursday, April 10, 2025
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Independent VOL. 22 • NO. 17
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
‘Right to Play’ bill that would affect high school athletes advances in House
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THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
Bill would allow students to compete on school and nonschool teams simultaneously
By Peter Hancock
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
A House committee recently advanced a bill that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and nonschool teams in the same sport at the same time, despite concerns that such a policy could create friction between coaches and jeopardize students’ safety. House Bill 3037 would create the “Right to Play Act” in Illinois and override existing rules of the Illinois High School Association, which sets eligibility rules for student athletes and strictly regulates their ability to participate in nonschool programs. Those rules generally prohibit students who participate on a school team from also participating on a nonschool team in the same sport during the high school sport’s season. IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in an interview that currently students may participate in as many as three outside contests or tour-
naments during the season, but only if those events are sanctioned by the sport’s national governing body and the student receives permission from both their school and IHSA. Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr, D-Naperville, the lead sponsor of the bill, told the committee that the rules have resulted in students being disqualified from competition over seemingly minor infractions. “We have cross country runners who are running a charity race during the cross country season. IHSA found out and disqualified that runner for the rest of the season,” she told the House Education Policy Committee. “We have members of a high school pom squad in Will County. Members of that pom squad went to a dance competition, and IHSA found out and disqualified those dancers for the rest of the season.” Libby Magnone, a junior at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein told lawmakers
that during her first two years of high school she was prohibited under IHSA rules from playing soccer at her school because she also played in the Girls Academy League, a program that sponsors tournaments that are eyed closely by college recruiters. “The best soccer players across the state have to choose between having to forgo showcasing their talents to college coaches that recruit from these tournaments, or sitting out their high school season,” she said. “Issues like these disproportionately affect girls and young women because unlike football or basketball, college coaches and scouts rarely go to high school events.” But Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, who serves on the committee, said the rules restricting participation on multiple programs exist for several reasons, including protecting the health and safety of student athletes.
See BILL, Page 3
Inside:
Opinion.............................4 Police reports ��������������������8 Speak out..........................5 Sports......................... 15-17
SUBMITTED PHOTO Addison Independent
AT boys volleyball team to host faculty and alumni games to raise money for NAMI DuPage April 25
On April 25, the Addison Trail boys volleyball team will host its third annual “Volley for NAMI” event at the school, and all Addison Trail students, staff, parents/ guardians, alumni and friends are invited to attend. Above are photos from last year’s event. The games will feature a faculty match at 4:30 p.m. and an alumni match at 5:30 p.m. to raise funds for NAMI DuPage, whose mission is to provide support, advocacy and education to improve the quality of life of individuals with mental illnesses and their families. The organization is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). For more information, go to https:// namidupage.org. There will be concessions, raffle baskets and more. Donations will be accepted at the door for entry. The team also is looking for corporations/ businesses to sponsor the event or donate items to raffle off during the games. The logos of sponsors/donors will be printed on posters that will be displayed during the event in the main gym. Sponsorship levels: Gold sponsor: $500 or more; Silver sponsor: $300 or more; Bronze sponsor: $150 or more. Sponsorships/donations are requested by April 14, and all proceeds will benefit NAMI DuPage. Checks should be made payable to AT Boys Volleyball and mailed to: Attention: Jessica Clark, Addison Trail High School, 213 N. Lombard Road, Addison, IL 60101. For questions or more information, contact boys volleyball head coach Jessica Clark at jclark@dupage88.net.
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