Illinois State Board of Education spokesman Tom Hernandez said it's up to local administrators to decide if districts would use vacation days or extend a year to make up for any shortfall caused by a strike. There is no law limiting the number of days teachers can walk the picket line. School district employees are not allowed to coach teams during strikes. If strikes carry on for an extended period, some teams may be forced to either forfeit or reschedule games and meets because of Illinois High School Association minimum practice rules. For example, football players must have at least 14 practices before playing a game.
Similar rules apply to other sports such as cross country, tennis, golf and soccer.
Strike timeline Classes were to begin for all Harlem students Sept. 5, but teachers voted Tuesday to strike. Rockford Register Star .