A Group of Jacksonville High School Students and Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois High School Association to get athletics and extracurricular activities going immediately.
With the assistance of Virtual Paradise Films and Channel 1450.com, a host of JHS students dropped a video online yesterday asking for the state’s officials to Hear Our Voice Illinois. Many of the students described the devastating effects of not having sports or activities during the school year.
IHSA said yesterday that high schools in regions where Tier 2 mitigations are now in effect that low-risk sports can begin practice immediately and will begin competition within their geographic region on a future date to be determined by the IHSA Board. While medium & high risk sports will have to continue to wait on further guidance and no physical activity. More information is scheduled to come on January 27th after another IHSA Board meeting.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard and the students in the video called out their fellow high schools to join them in protest.
JHS joins Maroa-Forsyth who issued a similar video on Thursday, whose video has over 30,000 hits since posting.
The JHS Video can be viewed here on the Visual Paradise Films Facebook Page.
Surrounding states of Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana have allowed high school and elementary sports to continue when school went back into session in the Fall.