Unhappy South Dakota parents take coach to court

[BEAREF]

I'm glad my parents didn't act this way......


Today's Sports Briefs

By From Staff & Wire Reports

PUBLISHED: January 2, 2007

Unhappy parents take coach to court
BROOKINGS – The parents of some Deubrook High School boys basketball players have taken a long-running dispute with the team’s coach to court.
The matter, heard Wednesday in Brookings by Circuit Judge David Gienapp, is an administrative appeal of the Deubrook School Board’s decision to rehire Darwin Hofer as coach.
Some of the parents have disagreed with Hofer about playing time and the rotation of players.
The judge is expected to decide the matter by Jan. 10.
One of the parents bringing the case, Tim Trooien of White, said the group’s main concern is Hofer’s coaching and the rotation of players. They say neither the coach nor the school board have adequately addressed their concerns.
The superintendent, Kevin Keenaghan, told the judge the team is winning, that no players are being mistreated and that seniors are not guaranteed playing time. He also said he’d rather the parents focus on academics with sports as part of a well-rounded education.
Meetings the disgruntled parents had with Hofer amounted to “tag-team harassment,” the superintendent said.
“Why should a person have to stand people questioning everything you do?” Keenaghan said.
“We value our educational programs here and take them seriously,” Trooien said. “The staff and administration are employees of the school district, which is property of taxpayers and parents who expect accountability. Unfortunately, some people seem to have forgotten that.”