Public School District Parent Coach Policy

[Doug Romrell]

I have been asked by a member of the local school board what a good public school coaching policy should look like with regards to limiting the use of parent coaches in high school sports.

Background: A local high school's upcoming softball program will have four of the nine starting varsity positions taken by the daughters of four of the coaches (the head coach and three of his assistants). It's one thing to have a single daddy head coach. It's quite another when there are four, each having a varsity position locked up for their daughter.

What would a good district policy look like in dealing with this?

 

[JJS]

No policy. The players will be gone after a few years. A policy would seem like an over reaction. What if the coaches are great coaches, and the players are all conference type players? Would you really want to lose either the coaches or the players because of a broad sweeping policy? Worse yet, would you really want to lose either the player or coach to a cross town school rival?

 

[quincy]

I am signing up to help coach tomorrow, DD might make the Team.

The player needs to make the Team on their merits period. Everyone is doing a disservice to the player and program if that is not true.

Normally the parents that are willing to help have good players, it can be unfortunate to the player that they think they made the Team because their parent helped. (or other people do)

Hopefully the HC does not have anyone on the team and can have a somewhat open opinion.

If I am helping DD wins ties, which I think is fair.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

They've already named the starters? That seems a little weird. Are they all freshmen?

JJS has it right - no policy. The board needs to let the AD do his/her job and the board do its job: worry about stuff that matters to the entire district, like spending per pupil and graduation rates. I assume the board member has a DD who isn't a starter?

 

[pdqkevin]

Daddy coaches rarely stay after their kid(s) graduate and even more rarely don't unfairly favor their own child. As a school policy I would think a parent should not be hired if their child is or will be on the team but someone who is already there or who coaches JV while their child is on Varsity or vice-a-versa would be OK. Should someone go to the crosstown rival because of such a policy that would be the rival's loss and your gain since this would be a case of an out of control parent who only brings down any team their child might be on.

 

[JJS]

There are quite a few professional NFL QBs that their dads were the head coaches of their teams. Could you imagine missing out on a future NFL QB because dad has been the head coach and their was a goofy school policy in place keeping dad from coaching son?

 

[Doug Romrell]

As a school policy I would think a parent should not be hired if their child is or will be on the team...

In this situation, daddy coaches ARE brought in by the head coach when the daughter will be on the team. And, it is with the blessing of the AD.

...but someone who is already there or who coaches JV while their child is on Varsity or vice-a-versa would be OK."

Not the case in this situation. Once the daughter moves on (graduates), the daddy coach is dropped to give room for the incoming dads of certain players. It's a revolving door of daddy coaches. Personally, I do think this is not ideal. It's one thing to have a daddy coach hear and there in high school sports programs, but not this type of situation.

 

[Doug Romrell]

There are quite a few professional NFL QBs that their dads were the head coaches of their teams. Could you imagine missing out on a future NFL QB because dad has been the head coach and their was a goofy school policy in place keeping dad from coaching son?

Do you know of a NFL team where 44% (4/9) of the starting players have dads in the coaching staff? Of course, that is pure silliness--wouldn't happen.
There are private softball teams out there where there is a higher percentage of players with a dad in the coaching staff, but that's a private team.
Isn't there a slightly different standard in a public school sports program with regards to who has control of the coaching?

Any ideas on what a GOOD policy in this regard would look like? I can't imagine having the 9 fathers of the 9 starting varsity players coaching the team is okay.

If a policy is immanent, what are your thoughts on what the wording of that policy would look like?

 

[chinamigarden]

Our HS coach coached his dd. They won a State Championship in 1991 with her pitching. She went on to pitch D1 and I hear that she even tried out for team USA. He takes his coaches salary and buys team gear, and he personally spends countless hours working on the field. He is thinking about retiring now that his grandson is starting HS.

Not every daddy coach leaves when his dd graduates. Not every daddy coach has a kid who needs his help to get playing time. And not all are in it for selfish reasons.

 

[Doug Romrell]

Not every daddy coach leaves when his dd graduates. Not every daddy coach has a kid who needs his help to get playing time. And not all are in it for selfish reasons.

TRUE! However, as the number of daddy coaches increases, the odds of the rose-colored classes effect among/between them intensifies greatly. It's one thing for this to exist in a private softball organization. It's quite another for it to be allowed in a public school sports program.