On April 30 The Herald printed a front-page story describing the probe into the parental allegations of harassment and intimidation of Marysville School District student athletes by its coaching staff. On that same day, another newspaper printed a story entitled “When parents cross the line.” This article outlined the research done by Bruce Brown, athletic director at Northwest College and a speaker for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, around parent involvement in their children’s sports. I would like to have seen the Marysville complainants read the Brown article.
I was in attendance at the school board meeting where, I believe, the line was crossed. The issues – focusing on the basketball program – included complaints about Marysville-Pilchuck High School, the largest high school in the state, not being able to field a winning team, parental objection that their athletes were not getting enough playing time, criticism of individual coaching style and very pointed comments that should not have been publicly aired. The district immediately began an investigation
The Marysville coaches, like coaches in every school district, work for peanuts. If the stipend is broken down to an hourly figure, that figure ranges from $2.50 to $10 per hour, but the real reward for our coaches comes from the enjoyment of working with students in a setting outside of the classroom on a sport they love. It is just plain fun. However, when coaches are called on the carpet for coaching decisions and style, the fun diminishes.
Parental involvement in their child’s sports is a hypersensitive subject to say the least. Brown makes several salient points but his major message to parents is “release (their) kids to the game” and get out of the way once any safety concerns are satisfied. He notes that athletics is one of the best places for young people to take risks and fail.
The investigation appears to be over. The Herald of May 4 reported that the findings did not support the allegations of harassment intimidation, nor were there any violations of district policies. Had there been improprieties, the Marysville coaches would have been the first to support the stopping of those behaviors.
Hopefully when the dust settles, the sports programs in the district will proceed in an even healthier state and our excellent Marysville coaches will continue their commitment to student athletes.
Marysville Education Association
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