On Dec. 16, 2025, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) introduced Policy 17 which limits large co-op high school teams from dominating at state.
Policy 17, which will be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year, is aimed at leveling the playing field for schools competing in the same division. When this policy goes into effect next fall, it will impact several of the current athletic teams in-district, meaning that these co-op teams will no longer be able to compete at the sectional or state level.
What the policy entails
OH Athletic Director Dan Artnzen said, “The bylaw states that schools can no longer have a cooperative team, commonly referred to as a co-op, if their combined enrollment is over 3,500 kids.” For OH specifically, the teams impacted include the gymnastics team and swimming team as both are co-op teams and combined with OE.
Who does the policy impact?
For OH specifically, the gymnastics and swimming teams are the most impacted due to a lack of practice facilities. Currently, OH does not have a swimming location, and OE does not have a gymnastics location. There are some exceptions to the policy; however, in the Policy 17 official document, it states that single gender schools and schools with fewer than four grade levels are mainly exempt. OH and OE, however, do not qualify for either of these exemptions.
How will the policy impact OH?
For many OH gymnastics and swimming athletes, this policy is a major let-down, as it could prevent athletes from competing at the state level. The OH Athletics Department is currently holding meetings regarding what the future looks like for the affected teams. The decision is still being made regarding whether the teams are going to split up and be individual teams or remain co-op.
Director Artzem said, “I understand on it’s surface why people would propose that and vote for it if it does not impact them.”
The impact is more than just about practice facilities or the potential for earning championships: it is about team relationships built over years of time spent together. OH junior gymnast Alenna Holden realized that, “If we decide to split up, I won’t be competing with girls that I’ve competed with for the past three years.”
The pros and cons of the policy
The policy is aimed to make competition among schools more even, and OH senior swimmer Ethan Shrader agrees partially with this approach. “I think that it’s a good rule for larger schools, but not necessarily for swimming.” This impact, especially for sports requiring specific facilities, can limit opportunities for schools without them.
For larger schools, the policy would limit the amount of athletes able to qualify for state; however, for OH and OE, the swimming and gymnastics teams, the policy would make the teams either decide to stay together and not be able to qualify for state as a team or split up, which would cause conflicts with practice times and the need (and the funding) to hire a whole new coaching staff.
While there have been no final decisions made regarding what either of these SD308 co-op teams are going to do, more information will continue to be released from the IHSA and from OH Athletics Department.
Hi! My name is Ainslee Gerardot and I'm a junior at Oswego High School. This is my first year of the 42Fifty staff, and I am proud to serve as Social Media Editor. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
