BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–In an 8-to-0 vote Tuesday, school board members voted to no longer allow parent volunteer coaches in junior varsity and varsity sports—except under special circumstances.
This was the second and final reading. The measure also passed on first reading in late June.
The approved policy does not sit well with some parents. In fact, Sally Wofford of Moncks Corner started an online petition at Change.org protesting the policy. More than 500 people signed the petition.
“Banning parent coaches will reduce the number of teams,” she wrote. The parents have a vested interest in making opportunities available to their children. This vested interest supports the classroom and the ball field, alike.”
According to Superintendent Rodney Thompson, the school district has no plans to eliminate or diminish any of its current athletic programs.
“Rather, we are looking at directing volunteers at the junior varsity and varsity levels to roles other than those that involve direct coaching responsibilities with their own children,” he stated.
Under the district’s new approved JH Policy, the district will “fill high school interscholastic coaching positions with qualified employees of the district.”
This means principals will not be able to assign volunteer parents of student athletes that are not full time employees of the district to coaching responsibilities at the varsity or junior varsity level within the program in which their son or daughter is participating.
However, this doesn’t necessarily rule out parent volunteers entirely. Thompson stated that the principal may request an exception to this guideline if the parent coach is determined to be vital to the existence of the program.
“We do acknowledge that in some instances, parent volunteers are necessary to ensuring that the athletic activity can continue; with the Board’s approval, a revised policy could be written as to allow for exceptions for these kinds of situations,” Explained Thompson.
He added, however, that a revised policy could take one to two years to be fully implemented.
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