Valley Parent Wants to Start Organization
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
At the Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting Monday night, parent Joe Secrist said he represented several others who want a parent organization at the school. Lots of parents want to get involved at TVHS, he said, but they don’t know how. A parent organization also would give them an opportunity to express their concerns in an orderly manner, he said.
Secrist said people have contacted the high school over the last few years about creating a parent organization, but got no response from the school.
Board member Mark Wise asked if the parent organization would be different from the Booster Club. Secrist said it would, because it would support all parts of the school.
Dave O’Brien, board member, asked when Secrist wanted to start a parent organization. Secrist replied he wanted to start now, but there are legal things they would have to do first like become a non-profit. He also said they need to publicize the organization and get people to come to it.
“I talked to a number of parents who are interested in getting involved. They are scared of approaching the board about it. They want to be involved, but not lead it,” Secrist indicated.
Superintendent Brett Boggs said the first step is the formation of bylaws. Akron and Mentone elementaries both have parent organization bylaws the high school organization could borrow from. Boggs suggested Secrist and a group of four to five people work with TVHS Principal Kirk Doehrmann on creating the bylaws, and then present them to the board for approval.
In another matter, after last month’s board meeting, the board met with TVHS boys basketball coach Bill Patrick regarding an incident last summer between an athlete and middle school girls basketball coach Chris Zolman.
Last night, Zolman addressed the board about the incident, without saying the name of that athlete. He indicated that the information the board received about the incident was not correct, but he did not say who provided the board with that information.
Zolman said he’s coached in the school corporation for 18 years, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for past players.
Last summer, he said, there was an incident during open gym. Games during open gym can get “kind of chippy at times,” he said.
Last summer, he called a kid for a foul. That kid caught a ball and rammed Zolman in the gut. The student and Zolman got physical during the game, including Zolman taking an elbow to the face that was intentional. Zolman called the kid out, and told him, “Do that again, see what happens.”
Some people thought Zolman was picking on a kid. However, Zolman said at no time he did choke anyone or punch them. He was not out to hurt any of those kids, he said.
“I do this stuff to make this school corporation better than it is. I work to make this basketball program better,” Zolman told the board.
He said he found out about what the board was told from the board’s meeting with Patrick.
Zolman also said he hoped that if the board had heard accusations about him that they would come to him personally and ask him about them.
“I did not do what it was said I did,” Zolman said. He emphasized he did not choke or pull on any student.
The board thanked Zolman for his comments and said nothing else on the matter.
After that, TVHS Assistant Principal Jon Hutton spoke about grading standards for high school athletes.
During the April school board meeting, Wise questioned whether the grading standards for TVHS student athletes are high enough. Hutton was asked to survey area schools to see what they are using as grading standards for student athletes.
Monday, Hutton reported the Indiana High School Athletic Association requires students must pass in four out of five classes. At Valley, they do biweekly checks.
“We didn’t find anyone who does any more than we do. In fact, some do less,” Hutton reported.
Madison Grant High School does require a 1.67 grade point average. A student may get one “F” one semester, but if they get a consecutive “F,” they can be suspended from athletic play.
Wise said Triton High School has a “No F” policy. He said it seemed odd that Hutton contacted schools that were further away, but not a nearby school like Triton.
“I would still like a higher level policy for our kids,” Wise said.
Hutton asked if Valley was going to be more stringent on its athletes, what about other extracurricular activities like drama club? Valley doesn’t do that now.
“We work very, very hard with our kids and student athletes and on them being successful,” Hutton said.
Wise indicated he thought Hutton was going to present the board this month with a more strict policy on athletes and grades. Hutton said last month when Wise was talking about it, Wise had trouble with students getting “D’s.”
Wise said “D’s” were not good. If a student has D’s, maybe they should spend more time on their studies than other things, he remarked.
Hutton said Valley has no policy that mandates students in other extracurricular activities have high grades. Maybe a committee needed to look at the issue.
Jeff Shriver, teacher and head football coach, suggested the rigor committee could take a look at it. He also said Valley’s athletic policy says if a student has two F’s, they are suspended until that grade comes up.
“As head football coach, there’s never been a time we encouraged kids to get a D-,” Shriver stated.
As a coach, he said he is able to work with kids.
“Coaching kids along gives them hope,” he said. “We’re trying to raise kids from where they are to where we want them to be.”
At least two proposals for student athletes and grades will be presented to the board at its June 10 meeting at 6:30 p.m.
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At the Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting Monday night, parent Joe Secrist said he represented several others who want a parent organization at the school. Lots of parents want to get involved at TVHS, he said, but they don’t know how. A parent organization also would give them an opportunity to express their concerns in an orderly manner, he said.
Secrist said people have contacted the high school over the last few years about creating a parent organization, but got no response from the school.
Board member Mark Wise asked if the parent organization would be different from the Booster Club. Secrist said it would, because it would support all parts of the school.
Dave O’Brien, board member, asked when Secrist wanted to start a parent organization. Secrist replied he wanted to start now, but there are legal things they would have to do first like become a non-profit. He also said they need to publicize the organization and get people to come to it.
“I talked to a number of parents who are interested in getting involved. They are scared of approaching the board about it. They want to be involved, but not lead it,” Secrist indicated.
Superintendent Brett Boggs said the first step is the formation of bylaws. Akron and Mentone elementaries both have parent organization bylaws the high school organization could borrow from. Boggs suggested Secrist and a group of four to five people work with TVHS Principal Kirk Doehrmann on creating the bylaws, and then present them to the board for approval.
In another matter, after last month’s board meeting, the board met with TVHS boys basketball coach Bill Patrick regarding an incident last summer between an athlete and middle school girls basketball coach Chris Zolman.
Last night, Zolman addressed the board about the incident, without saying the name of that athlete. He indicated that the information the board received about the incident was not correct, but he did not say who provided the board with that information.
Zolman said he’s coached in the school corporation for 18 years, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for past players.
Last summer, he said, there was an incident during open gym. Games during open gym can get “kind of chippy at times,” he said.
Last summer, he called a kid for a foul. That kid caught a ball and rammed Zolman in the gut. The student and Zolman got physical during the game, including Zolman taking an elbow to the face that was intentional. Zolman called the kid out, and told him, “Do that again, see what happens.”
Some people thought Zolman was picking on a kid. However, Zolman said at no time he did choke anyone or punch them. He was not out to hurt any of those kids, he said.
“I do this stuff to make this school corporation better than it is. I work to make this basketball program better,” Zolman told the board.
He said he found out about what the board was told from the board’s meeting with Patrick.
Zolman also said he hoped that if the board had heard accusations about him that they would come to him personally and ask him about them.
“I did not do what it was said I did,” Zolman said. He emphasized he did not choke or pull on any student.
The board thanked Zolman for his comments and said nothing else on the matter.
After that, TVHS Assistant Principal Jon Hutton spoke about grading standards for high school athletes.
During the April school board meeting, Wise questioned whether the grading standards for TVHS student athletes are high enough. Hutton was asked to survey area schools to see what they are using as grading standards for student athletes.
Monday, Hutton reported the Indiana High School Athletic Association requires students must pass in four out of five classes. At Valley, they do biweekly checks.
“We didn’t find anyone who does any more than we do. In fact, some do less,” Hutton reported.
Madison Grant High School does require a 1.67 grade point average. A student may get one “F” one semester, but if they get a consecutive “F,” they can be suspended from athletic play.
Wise said Triton High School has a “No F” policy. He said it seemed odd that Hutton contacted schools that were further away, but not a nearby school like Triton.
“I would still like a higher level policy for our kids,” Wise said.
Hutton asked if Valley was going to be more stringent on its athletes, what about other extracurricular activities like drama club? Valley doesn’t do that now.
“We work very, very hard with our kids and student athletes and on them being successful,” Hutton said.
Wise indicated he thought Hutton was going to present the board this month with a more strict policy on athletes and grades. Hutton said last month when Wise was talking about it, Wise had trouble with students getting “D’s.”
Wise said “D’s” were not good. If a student has D’s, maybe they should spend more time on their studies than other things, he remarked.
Hutton said Valley has no policy that mandates students in other extracurricular activities have high grades. Maybe a committee needed to look at the issue.
Jeff Shriver, teacher and head football coach, suggested the rigor committee could take a look at it. He also said Valley’s athletic policy says if a student has two F’s, they are suspended until that grade comes up.
“As head football coach, there’s never been a time we encouraged kids to get a D-,” Shriver stated.
As a coach, he said he is able to work with kids.
“Coaching kids along gives them hope,” he said. “We’re trying to raise kids from where they are to where we want them to be.”
At least two proposals for student athletes and grades will be presented to the board at its June 10 meeting at 6:30 p.m.
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