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News
By Allison Joy
CRYSTAL FALLS — The Forest Park School Board held another packed meeting on Monday, Feb. 26, during which parents expressed concerns over ethics in the school’s athletic department.
This is the second month in a row the board has heard concerns regarding nepotism and favoritism among coaches in the athletic program. Board trustee Bill St. John read a letter to the room that outlined a process for grievances.
“If there are further concerns, please continue to bring them to the attention of those directly involved so they can try to solve them immediately,” he said.
He went on to say that parents should first attempt a resolution with the coach or teacher and, if unsuccessful, contact the principal or athletic director with documentation of any discussions with coaches. If the issue remains unresolved, parents were directed to document their attempts and then bring them to the board.
“When problems are brought directly to the board of education, those directly involved have not had an opportunity to solve the issues,” St. John continued. “Just as a teacher should have the opportunity to fix problems that may be happening in their classroom, coaches should have the opportunity to fix problems that may be occurring on their teams. If people are not made aware that there is a problem, they do not have the knowledge to fix it. We have found this lack of communication to be a main problem with many of our past complaints.”
In January, Superintendent Christy Larson said the school was conducting an investigation into specific staff members as a result of complaints. At the February meeting, St. John outlined the board’s intent moving forward.
He said the board will meet with all coaches at the end of the year regarding possibly implementing an athlete evaluation to help students better understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Another process the board committed to possibly implementing is one that would justify and better clarify how underclassmen are brought up to the varsity level. Coaches will also have the opportunity to attend coaching clinics.
“We’ve come up with a plan for improvement,” St. John said. “We cannot go backwards at this time. We need to move forward in the best interest of our students.”
During public comment, parents described an environment of fear and anxiety among young athletes involved in the volleyball program. One discussed retaliation his daughter faced, after sharing complaints about the athletic department, that included allegations of late-night harassing text messages from staff and coaches. Students described an environment where less-skilled players aren’t nurtured to grow, instead relegated to supporting the team’s stronger athletes.
“The climate at [Forest Park] right now is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” said Tahoney Anderson, a staff member, parent and Forest Park alum. “...Adult burdens are being felt amongst our children. Many students, staff and community members are confused and unsure how we move forward from this … I believe we now have an opportunity to shift gears and refocus our efforts to repair the culture here at Forest Park.”
The board ultimately voted unanimously to accept Athletic Director Lisa Olson’s evaluation for all five coaches as well as renew all contracts.
“We’ve got to start working on education, and we haven’t been,” said Jim Nocerini, board president. “We’ve been wasting a lot of our time here, but we are right now going back to work on education.”
He went on to note that the board would be directing energies toward a search for a new superintendent, as Larson turned in her resignation to take a position in Florence, Wisconsin. She will be leaving at the end of this school year.
Quinn Illi contributed to the reporting of this article.