As an Illinois high school student and an invested member of the debate community, the decision by the Illinois High School Association, IHSA, to rescind debate as a sponsored activity is a huge blow to this academic experience for me and many others.

Not only is debate a recreational activity, but it helps high school students develop many lifelong skills including critical thinking, argumentation, public speaking, and awareness of global issues. These are vitally important in today's world. Furthermore, college admissions departments regard this program as extremely important, meaning it is a powerful indicator of a student's talents and potential at their institution. However, IHSA's choice has jeopardized this advantage, limiting the options available to hundreds of participants to pursue their college ambitions while endangering Illinois' debate programs for future debaters.

Specifically, the IHSA board refused to reinstate the Debate State final tournament for the sole reason that the program did not meet the quota for the IHSA membership even though before the board meeting the number of schools on the IHSA Emerging Activities list had the required number of teams to warrant a state final.  Instead of immediately adding the state final back, the IHSA instead chose to say they wanted to wait another year to see if the number of schools could be replicated.

According to the American Debate League, high school debaters perform better academically and are more likely to succeed in their careers. We cannot turn a blind eye to this valuable investment in our future generation. Due to the IHSA's decision to rescind this membership, Debate as a whole in the state of Illinois is at risk. Even though my school supports and values the portable skills that come from competing in debate, some schools may see the state-wide program as illegitimate without the proper credibility of the state sponsorship, even revoking proper funding for their debate programs.

In addition, the clock is ticking for the Class of 2026. By June 2025, the advisory committee under the IHSA will hold a voting meeting. We urge the IHSA to make the right choice to re-sponsor the debate. Not only is this crucial for our academic progress, but our college applications are strengthened by being part of this revered IHSA-sponsored program. When sponsored, this only continues to benefit our college goals.

Lastly, without proper support, Debate in Illinois is fractured into multiple state tournaments held by each style of debate. Policy, Congressional, and Public Forum/Lincoln Douglass have held their state tournament. This disorganization harms schools that may not have access to these tournaments when their funding for the program is already cut.

We must ensure that future Illinois students carry on the tradition of debate as a pathway to success. Stand with us and sign this petition to reinstate debate as an IHSA-sponsored activity.