IHSA: CPS teams could stay in the playoffs if teacher strike is settled early Wednesday

Time is quickly running out on Chicago Public League teams hope for being included in the Illinois High School playoffs.

There was a bit of wiggle room provided in the initial thought that schools would have to be in session on Wednesday morning to be allowed to still participate in the playoffs, the IHSA confirmed Tuesday. Now, if the strike was resolved late Tuesday night or early enough on Wednesday for teams to assemble for a practice on Wednesday they would still meet the practice requirement needed for participation. There has been no official time attached to when that might be on Wednesday.

The continuing strike directly affects team's ability to be on the practice field and thus puts them all in peril of violating an IHSA bylaw in regards to schools not in session. Striking schools aren't practicing currently and if a striking school is out for more than seven days (not including Sundays), which the CPL schools involved in the strike currently are, they must practice for three days before being allowed to play in a game.

Not being to practice on Wednesday prevents that from happening as practicing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday would have met the required practice requirement prior to opening round playoff games that would be potentially contested on Saturday.

The 19 schools potentially forfeiting playoff matchups are:

• In Class 2A, Orr will forfeit to St. Edward.

• In Class 3A, Carver will forfeit to Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

• In Class 3A, Harlan will forfeit to Durand-Pecatonica.

• In Class 3A, Dunbar will forfeit to Eureka.

• In Class 4A, Phoenix will forfeit to Coal City.

• In Class 4A, Agricultural Science will forfeit to Kewanee.

• In Class 4A, Clark will forfeit to St. Francis.

• In Class 4A, Sullivan will forfeit to IC Catholic.

• In Class 5A, Payton will forfeit to Fenwick.

• In Class 5A, Hyde Park will forfeit to Rockford Boylan.

• In Class 5A, Amundsen will forfeit to Marmion.

• In Class 6A, Simeon will forfeit to Lakes.

• In Class 6A, Mather will forfeit to Antioch.

• In Class 6A, Kenwood will forfeit to Riverside-Brookfield.

• In Class 7A, Phillips will forfeit to Lincoln-Way West.

• In Class 7A, Lincoln Park will forfeit to Rolling Meadows.

• In Class 8A, Taft will forfeit to Huntley.

• In Class 8A, Curie will forfeit to Homewood-Flossmoor.

One school affiliated with the Chicago Public League, Urban Prep-Bronzeville, will play its playoff game against Richmond-Burton in Class 4A regardless of when the strike is resolved.

Urban-Prep Bronzeville, while in the Chicago Public League, is a charter school that is not involved in the current teacher's strike. They have remained in session, continued practicing and will compete.

A teacher's strike has impacted the state playoffs just one other time, albeit in a much more minor way. Downstate Marshall, forfeited out of the 1985 Class 3A playoffs to Shelbyville in a opening round playoff game due to a teacher's strike.