Should high school press boxes have elevators?

Members of the media get to watch sporting meets and matches from the comfort of a press box, protected from the elements and away from the distractions of rowdy fans.

But the cost of providing those accommodations could soon have some local school district as fired up as their teams' supporters.

A bill making its way through the Illinois General Assembly aims to change that.

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Pam Althoff of McHenry and State Rep. Tim Schmitz of Batavia, would exempt school districts from a requirement that all second-story press boxes have elevator access for people with disabilities.

Officials in Carpentersville-based Community Unit District 300 are pushing the legislation, saying the rule was never meant to apply to schools.

The issue arose last year when the district opened a new high school and renovated two others. At that time, the Kane County Regional Office of Education told the district it must comply with the 1997 rule, officials said.

"Every other county around us gives waivers for that," District 300 board President Joe Stevens said. "It is only the Kane County Regional Office of Education that doesn't do that."

Barrington High School, for example, did not have to install an elevator in the new, $4.4 million stadium it opened last year.

However, Regional Superintendent Douglas Johnson disputes claims he has authority to waive the requirement.

"The law does not allow us to do that," Johnson said. "It's like saying police can waive requirements for cars to have lights and brakes. The law is the law and we need to enforce it."

District 300 estimates installing an elevator would cost between $80,000 and $100,000 for each press box in the district.

For now, the district has worked out a compromise with the regional office of education. If someone who uses a wheelchair requests press box access, the district will accommodate that person with a platform lift.

"We did work with the district and came up with what we felt was a viable solution," Johnson said.

Besides exempting schools from the elevator requirement, the proposed legislation would create a task force to review the accessibility code and bring it in line with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Capital Development Board, the state panel that enforces the accessibility code and helped draft it, is supporting the bill.

David Blanchette, spokesman for the Capital Development Board, said enforcing the elevator requirement "for a school district of that size would be cost prohibitive."

Equip for Equality, an advocacy group for people with disabilities in Illinois, has not taken a position on the bill.

But Barry Taylor, legal advocacy director for the group, said, "We're always concerned where accessibility requirements are taken away."

The bill passed the state House in March and has about two weeks left to clear the Senate.

Staff writer Charles Keeshan contributed to this story.