October 24, 2008 Minutes

APPROVED BY THE PITTSFIELD SCHOOL BOARD

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT #51
PITTSFIELD PITTSFIELD SCHOOL BOARD

MINUTES

Pittsfield School Board
Friday, October 24, 2008
Pittsfield Middle High School

I. CALL TO ORDER

Members Present: Mary Paradise, Chairperson
Gary Colby
Leslie Vogt
Scott Brown

Others Present: Dr. John Freeman, Superintendent
Richard Gremlitz, Principal, PMHS
Derek Hamilton, Boys Varsity Soccer Coach
Approximately 50 members of the public, both students and adults

Chairperson Paradise called the meeting to order at 5:42 p.m.

II. APPEAL OF SUSPENSION

Ms. Paradise stated that the purpose of the meeting was to hear Mr. Hamilton’s appeal of a suspension from his duties as soccer coach due to unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred during the soccer game against Newmarket High School on October 21 at Drake Field in Pittsfield. Ms. Paradise explained to the Board, Mr. Hamilton, and members of the public that the process for appeal would include a time for testimony, a non-public session during which the Board would deliberate, and a decision that would be reached in open meeting. Ms. Paradise confirmed that Mr. Hamilton had requested that the hearing would be conducted in open meeting, and that this request would be honored. Ms. Paradise advised that members of the public who wish to speak would be permitted to do so at the beginning of the meeting, as is the format for regular school board meetings; she also stated that a limited amount of time would be permitted for individual comments.

o Public Comment: Steve Adams. Mr. Adams requested that the Board overturn the ten day suspension of Coach Hamilton. He stated that the Student Athlete Handbook needs to be revised and clarified; he offered his assistance in this process. Mr. Adams stated that the “biggest issue” is “what is a reasonable approach to discipline;” he stated that a punishment must match an offense, and that three yellow cards, resulting in a total of thirty days of suspension, were assessed during the soccer game in question. Mr. Adams stated that the suspensions are “out of whack.”

Mr. Adams stated that one of the coach’s priorities is to protect players; that his son was pulled down in the game in question; and asked Board members if they would not ask, “Where’s the call?” Mr. Adams stated that he would distinguish such a reaction from someone putting a finger in the face of an official or using language like “F-ing.” He stated that he would not sure if the Athletic Review Board applied to a coach; he further stated that if he were the coach at the time of the incident he described, he “would be asking, ‘Where’s the call.’” Mr. Adams recommended a “reasonable approach” by the Athletic Director and stated that he would like to see the Athletic Handbook rewritten. He stated that he believes that a coach should be able to call the referee’s attention to infractions that may occur on the field of play. He recommended that school administrators should be able to speak with a coach if the coach’s behavior warrants it, and that “maybe a one day” suspension be assessed in certain circumstance.

o Public Comment: James Hetu. Mr. Hetu stated that he is a soccer referee and was in attendance at the game in question, but that he was situated on the opposite side of the field and didn’t observe the incident being discussed. He stated that he was present to provide a referee’s point of view. He stated that a yellow card is a “controlling mechanism,” or a way to “tell a coach” that “’we have an issue.’” He stated that a second yellow card is assigned for repeat behaviors; that referees are trained to control games with the yellow cards; that they are not viewed as “punishment;” rather, they are intended to communicate, “Please, stop.” Conversely, red cards indicate punishment. Mr. Hetu stated that if referees didn’t use yellow cards to control games, game situations would get out of control, similar to the way the tournament game did in 2006. Mr. Hetu further expressed his opinion that the Pittsfield policies are “out of step with what’s going on on the field,” and that a referee doesn’t know the effect of his/her assigning a yellow card. Mr. Hetu offered to answer questions from a referee’s point of view that the Board may have.

o Public Comment: Bob Chagnon. Mr. Chagnon stated that the district should decide whether local policies should mirror or supersede the NHIAA’s policies. He further stated that actions taken should be warranted, and that Mr. Hamilton was protecting his player in the incident in question; Mr. Chagnon believes that Mr. Hamilton was correct in his behavior that resulted in the yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct. Mr. Chagnon stated that he believes that the district was “trying to save face in front of the NHIAA,” and that the “whole procedure wasn’t followed to begin with.”

o Public Comment: Tammy Colby. Ms. Colby stated that her son, a member of the soccer team, has asked, “Why should my coach be punished for looking after me?” She stated that some players on the soccer team don’t want to play the way that they need to play. Ms. Colby stated her belief that the district needs to revise the wording of the Handbook.

o Public Comment: Lee Adams. Ms. Adams stated that she had known Mr. Hamilton for many years, that she had witness his maturing from childhood, and that she sees him as a “fine man” of character. She expressed her opinion that “to be accused of this is character assassination.” Ms. Adams stated that the players on the soccer team are “the whipping boys of the NHIAA,” that they are abused by the players of other teams, and that referees “look the other way” during such abuse. She stated that, “Boys can only take it so long,” and that the soccer team members are beginning their third year of “punishment.” Ms. Adams defined “sportsmanship” as “two teams on an even playing field.” She stated her belief that soccer play has been dangerous, and that there exists no recourse “in this administration.” She stated that her family has health insurance and that players “laid down their lives for safety;” that her son was held in a chokehold from behind and had suffered a concussion. Ms. Adams also stated that the players on the team “trust that Derek will watch their backs.” Further, Ms. Adams described Mr. Hamilton as an “example of patience and self-discipline,” that it is time to “speak out,” and that Mr. Hamilton is not a “slave to fear.” Ms. Adams expressed that she feels that “we are in slavery to what happened,” and that boys “need to know how to stand up for their freedoms.” Ms. Adams stated that she believes that players need to be taught “how to stand up for their welfare and safety.”

o Statement of Appeal: Derek Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton expressed thanks for his “supporters” for attending the meeting. He then read a prepared statement in which he detailed his experience as a teacher, his involvement in school committees, and his history as a coach in Pittsfield. Mr. Hamilton stated the boys soccer team had been assessed fewer yellow cards in 2007 and 2008 than they had in 2005 and 2006. He also stated that the past four weeks have been “some of the most difficult I have encountered as a young coach” due to the physical nature of recent play. He next spoke about the game played against Newmarket High School on the previous Tuesday, characterizing this game as “intense.” He described several incidents that took place during the game, characterizing a particular play by a Newmarket player as “malicious;” the referee, according to Mr. Hamilton, “made no call.” At that point, Mr. Hamilton stated that “I raised both my hands in the air and yelled something to the effect of ‘Are you kidding? How can you not make a call there?’” He stated that he had been “carded“ for the “tone of voice I used in protesting the call.” Mr. Hamilton stated that that he “could have protested the call more discretely,” and that “I feel I was simply doing my job as a coach.”

Mr. Hamilton further stated that he was “shocked” over his suspension from coaching as a result of this incident. He stated that “the punishment does not fit the crime,” and observed that other coaches in the state are not held to “such a standard.” He stated that this incident resulted in the first such yellow card that he had received in his coaching experience. He stated that “other than not having a track record of unsportsmanlike conduct, I am also appealing this suspension because in the past year other coaches within the sports program have exhibited the same behavior I did this past Tuesday and none of them has been suspended;” he provided accounts of several such incidents, and further stated that a suspension “for this type of behavior is unprecedented.” He asked if a different set of standards is being applied to the boys’ soccer team; observed that such behavior is not addressed in the Coaches’ Handbook; and recalled that he had been told by the principal and athletic director that “we had high expectations for sportsmanship.” He stated that he had not been asked for his “interpretation of the events” and criticized the athletic director because she “simply took the word of the referee” regarding the incident. Further, Mr. Hamilton stated that he was “disgusted with the lack of due process.” Mr. Hamilton concluded by requesting that he be reinstated as coach for the remainder of the soccer season, observing that “I am the best person for this job for the time being.”

III. NON-PUBLIC SESSION

At 6:29 p.m., a motion was made by Mr. Colby, and seconded by Ms. Vogt, to enter into non-public session. The Board was polled and voted unanimously to enter into a non-public session under the provisions of RSA 91-A:3 II (a).

The board discussed the appeal to suspension from coaching duties presented by Mr. Hamilton.

IV. OPEN SESSION

At 6:54 p.m., a motion was made by Mr. Brown, and seconded by Ms. Vogt, to conclude the non-public session and to re-enter open meeting. The Board was polled and voted unanimously to conclude non-public session and to re-enter into open meeting.

A motion was made by Mr. Colby, and seconded by Mr. Brown, to reverse Mr. Hamilton’s suspension from coaching duties and to direct the administration to review policies and practices relative coaches of school teams in the interest of fairness to those concerned; the Board unanimously approved.

Ms. Paradise thanked members of the public who were in attendance and observed that Pittsfield is a great community that supports kids. She acknowledged that policies and practices governing athletics and school teams are in need of revision and that the Board would be directing such a revision; she also stated that public input would be welcome in this process.

Mr. Brown expressed that the Board has tried to “raise the bar” in terms of sportsmanship, and that this applied to all sports teams, not only the soccer teams. He recognized that the bar has been raised for sportsmanship among fans attending the sporting contests, and that this trend must continue. Mr. Brown observed that the Pittsfield teams are “under the microscope” in all sports, and that he would like to see the Pittsfield teams become “the class of the league.” Mr. Brown recalled speaking to the NHIAA two years ago and stating that he would like to see the sportsmanship of Pittsfield teams recognized by the awarding of the Sportsmanship Award. He stated that he would still like to think that this is possible, and that the achievement of such an award would provide a powerful statement to the teams of New Hampshire. Mr. Brown concluded by expressing his appreciation to the public for its input.

V. ADJOURNMENT

On a motion made by Mr. Colby and seconded by Mr. Brown, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 7:08 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John J. Freeman
Acting Recording Secretary