The Valley Local Schools Superintendent says he’s taking accusations against a coach very seriously. We told you about local parent Mark Smith and his concerns that a coach in the Valley School System was bullying kids and had ignored state regulations regarding player safety.
Smith, who said that he was at the end of his rope, posted a lengthy public rant on social media on Sunday. In less than 24 hours, Smith’s post was shared 33 times. When I spoke to Smith about the situation, he said that he’d spoken to the coach and also taken the matter directly to a school board member.
Smith said he’d learned from his own experience as a high school coach that going to principals, athletic directors, and other coaches often doesn’t yield results. “The only way you ever get anything accomplished is to go straight to the school board.”
When he failed to get what he considered a timely response, Smith posted a lengthy description of his issues with the football and basketball programs on Facebook. Later that afternoon, he did hear from a school board member who said the matter was being looked into.
First thing on Monday morning, I called the office of Valley Superintendent Scott Rolfe.
Rolfe said that he first became aware of the situation last Thursday and that no formal complaint had been filed over the coach’s alleged behavior.
The superintendent told me he’d just got off the phone with Smith who would be coming into his office today to file a formal complaint.
Rolfe said he doesn’t use social media, so he was unaware of all of Smith’s complaint but said all complaints would be taken very seriously and that his office would spend a lot of time investigating the issue and then take appropriate action based on their findings.
Superintendent Rolfe stressed that no investigation could begin without a formal complaint and that it’s important for parents with concerns to come into the office and file a formal complaint.
This serves as a good reminder to parents that while discussing your concerns with other parents, teachers, and coaches or posting about them on social media may seem like you’re making the people in charge aware of a problem, if you have serious concerns it’s important to lodge formal complaints
