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Coaching Positions
A hullabaloo is brewing at the high school because two new teachers have been offered positions coaching sports that were coached by non school system employees in past years.
The administration claims it is only following the rules of the Virginia High School League. Indeed the rule is that coaches should be full-time teachers. But the VHSL provides for many exceptions to that rule. College students, school administrators, retired teachers and teachers’ aides can all be hired as coaches as exceptions to that rule. In addition people who do not fit any of those exceptions may be hired for one sport each if the principal notifies the VHSL that the school wishes to employ them. ‘
The school administration is taking the position that requesting such an exception is only allowed if no teacher is qualified and willing to coach. Since the notification does not require the principal to so state, that is not clear, and indeed, there is evidence other schools are not following that policy.
Certainly there are advantages to the high school in having a coach on the regular staff. All three sports seasons are plagued with the need to reschedule athletic competitions because of weather. It is easier to make sure the coach knows of the changes if he or she works in the building during the day.
However, in the case of soccer the controversy seems truly gratuitous. There are funds in the budget for both varsity and junior varsity coaches. If the interest is there, those could instead become boys' and girls' teams. The suspicion that the purpose of the exercise is to eliminate the junior varsity soccer program in favor of junior varsity programs in baseball and softball seems justified.
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