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Medford committee to discuss athletic hiring process
The Medford School Committee on Monday will meet to discuss school policy on hiring and retaining athletic coaches, after a controversial decision not to rehire Michael Petrides as boys' soccer coach, the superintendent said.
Petrides was informed in April that he would not be retained by the district to coach in the fall, school officials said. Student-athletes spoke out against the decision, which was ultimately made by Paul H. Krueger, Medford High School headmaster. A few dozen students offered impassioned pleas for the coach's reinstatement, but to no avail.
In a phone interview, Superintendent Roy E.Belson said the meeting will likely provide a forum for the public as well as committee members to ask questions, express opinions, and if the will exists, to authorize new rules defining the coach hiring and evaluation process.
Under state law the power to hire, fire, or retain athletic coaches falls to the principal or headmaster, Belson said. While the committee can't rewrite or contradict education law, it can demand a range of steps in the decision-making process, which occurs annually for all coaches, he said, who are hired on one-year contracts districtwide.
"Most of the time people agree on coaches coming and going and it doesn't have to be quite as formal," Belson said. "But when you get to a situation when there is this much controversy, it's useful to have things more spelled out."
The coach selection process is largely undocumented, he said, although material generated in any personnel decision usually remains protected under privacy laws.
"Whats the flaw? People are uncomfortable with how the decision came down," Belson said. "The goal is to understand things better, and possibly have the School Committee refine its process for how it wants business conducted."
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Medford City Hall.
Petrides was informed in April that he would not be retained by the district to coach in the fall, school officials said. Student-athletes spoke out against the decision, which was ultimately made by Paul H. Krueger, Medford High School headmaster. A few dozen students offered impassioned pleas for the coach's reinstatement, but to no avail.
In a phone interview, Superintendent Roy E.Belson said the meeting will likely provide a forum for the public as well as committee members to ask questions, express opinions, and if the will exists, to authorize new rules defining the coach hiring and evaluation process.
Under state law the power to hire, fire, or retain athletic coaches falls to the principal or headmaster, Belson said. While the committee can't rewrite or contradict education law, it can demand a range of steps in the decision-making process, which occurs annually for all coaches, he said, who are hired on one-year contracts districtwide.
"Most of the time people agree on coaches coming and going and it doesn't have to be quite as formal," Belson said. "But when you get to a situation when there is this much controversy, it's useful to have things more spelled out."
The coach selection process is largely undocumented, he said, although material generated in any personnel decision usually remains protected under privacy laws.
"Whats the flaw? People are uncomfortable with how the decision came down," Belson said. "The goal is to understand things better, and possibly have the School Committee refine its process for how it wants business conducted."
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Medford City Hall.
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