CCSD 2 board of trustees changes mind on regulation

All sports in Carbon County School District No. 2 are allowed two coaches, after the Board of Trustees changed a regulation on Sept. 16.

The regulation, IGDJ-R, regulates the number of kids needed to maintain a team in each sport, how many players needed to maintain three coaches and, before a vote, it regulated how many players needed to maintain two coaches in middle school sports.

The regulation states a second assistant coach will be provided to middle school volleyball, basketball and track teams, if those teams have 13 or more participants. For wrestling, the number is 10.

The paragraph was added to the regulation in June, Superintendent Bob Gates said.

“(Teams) always had a second coach prior to this change. This change meant you had to have an X amount of kids to be able to get the second coach,” Gates said.

IGDJ-R does not restrict high school sports teams from having two coaches.

Luke Spiering, a longtime wrestling coach, said middle school sports needed at least two coaches for safety reasons.

“As far as I’m concerned, if you have a team, you need two coaches,” Spiering said.

Spiering used a scenario in wrestling as an example. He said if one person is injured while wrestling, and that child’s parents were not present, the coach would have to go to the hospital with that kid. As a result, all other team members would have to leave as well, since there is no other supervision.

“If you have two coaches, one can go to the hospital and takecare of the kid, while the other kids can stay and participate,” Spiering said.

School board members voted on the changes made to IGDJ-R as a way to save money in the activities department due to a tightening budget. However, some recognized the need for two coaches in every sport for safety.

“If it was for safety issues, I think you have to address the junior high sports the same way. However, if there is a cost savings figured into our projections, I think we need to look at the activities and find other ways to substitute our cost savings,” said school board member Janice Peterson said.

Gates said looking at activities as a whole in relation to the budget is a topic that will need much open discussion with the community.

“We can’t move forward right now, but we need to do something,” he said.

Gates suggested forming committees to carry discussions about activities and the budget later.

Board chairman Greg Bartlett said that the issue of IGDJ-R needed immediate attention, since the season for middle school sports started.

“If you were to strike this paragraph right here, every team would have two coaches,” Gates said.

The school board voted to strike the paragraph among other chnaged to the regulation, with Peterson voting no.

Activities is one of the areas where CCSD 2 spends most of it’s un-reimbursable dollars. Gates said discussions need to begin in saving money in activities. He said the process will most likely be emotional for many, but something that needs to be done.

“We got a lot of things that we need to have discussions on as far as activities right now, and maybe what we need to do is start that discussion,” Gates said.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/08/2024 13:24