DuPage County Judge Paul Fullerton denied a temporary restraining order against the Illinois High School Association’s Return to Play guidelines on Thursday.

Three west suburban parents sought the temporary restraining order to stop the IHSA from enforcing the guidelines, which includes a new four-season sports schedule that moved football to the spring due to COVID-19. If granted, it would have put an immediate stop to the IHSA’s current schedule and the supervised practices out of season sports are currently conducting.

“We are in a pandemic and what the IHSA did was within their authority under their bylaws and constitution,” Fullerton said.

The parents’ class-action lawsuit filed in DuPage County Court on Tuesday claimed the IHSA broke its own rules when it changed the sports calendar in late July.

The IHSA’s board of directors passed the Return to Play guidelines. There was not a full member vote of all 800 schools.

“[The IHSA] can’t simply issue guidelines without giving its members a voice,” argued Jeff Widman, the parents’ attorney.

IHSA attorney David Bressler said the change was made quickly to comply with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders and the goal was to give all sports a chance to play this school year in spite of Pritzker’s orders.

Bressler argued that the IHSA can make significant changes to its bylaws without a member vote in circumstances that are beyond control.

“What is more beyond the control than a pandemic?” Bressler said.

Bressler said that no member schools asked to vote and the schools were “unified” behind the change.

Widman argued that the schools should be given a chance to “comply or defy” with Pritzker’s orders on their own.

The parents involved in the lawsuit are Dave Ruggles, Chris Warden and Kelly Ridges. Coaches and parents launched a Let Us Play movement this month, and Ruggles has been an outspoken member of the movement. The group has held protests all around the state in the last few weeks.