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News
By Allison Joy
CRYSTAL FALLS – Nearly 100 people were in attendance at the Jan. 22 meeting of the Forest Park School Board of Education, with parents and community members voicing concerns regarding coaching approaches and management of the school’s athletics program.
Volleyball and basketball programs specifically came under fire, particularly the school’s varsity programs. Claims ranged across favoritism, a lack of transparency and inappropriate conduct.
Parent Bobby Woollard alleged he had seen first-hand one coach kicking doors open and using derogatory language with other staff and coaches during games.
“Whether you guys agree with what we have to say or not, your job is to listen to our concerns and take action to do what is best for the kids in this school,” Woollard said to the board during public comment.
“The investigation is still pending,” School Superintendent Christy Larson told the Reporter. “The investigation is in regard to staff.”
Other attendees at the meeting spoke in support of the school’s program and coaching.
“Being a good coach is more than teaching the sport to a group of kids – it’s teaching life lessons,” said Claire Valeski, club director and coach for U.P. North Volleyball. “As a coach, we teach teamwork, dedication, drive and hard work. We also have to teach players to be supportive and honorable, that the world is hard and they may fail.”
No action was taken at the meeting, nor a timeline given for the investigation.
Board President James Nocerini expressed confidence in the school’s ability to address any potential issues.
“I think we have a good administrative staff that has looked at that,” he told TV6 after last week’s meeting. “We’ve worked at this … We address problems, and we turn around and think about them and come up with the best solution.”