No comment

Sometimes I just don’t understand school administrators.

I’ve come to know a few while I’ve worked here. Some area superintendents and principals will come back with direct answers to your questions especially if you explain why you are asking the questions or tell them what you are looking for. Others will dance around the issue and either hide something or simply say no comment.

Anyone who read the blog or saw the letter to the editor in The Courier and Lima News knows about alleged bigoted language toward Lima Senior players in their girls soccer match with Riverdale. The letter writer compared Riverdale with all of the top hate mongers in the 20th and 21st century. Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden etc.

Well I went out to Riverdale yesterday. Was met by coach Jason Espinoza, Riverdale principal Deb Frey and AD Craig Taylor. I told them this was their chance to get their side of the story out. Just by looking at coach Espinoza I could see the hurt the allegations by a single letter-writer have caused him as coach and I had a feeling many of the things the letter writer said weren’t true.

But when I asked Frey whether any players were disciplined of any incidents in the game. She told me she couldn’t comment on it. I pressed her with a few other questions she wasn’t willing to comment on them either. After talking with several people off the record, I’ve found out some things that dispute the things the letterwriter said but because Frey decided to tell me “no comment” I can’t write about what I’ve learned and there will be a presumption on many readers that something actually happened or that Riverdale is hiding something.

Sometimes speaking out is the best option for administrators. It’s much better than to tell is like it is, whether it’s something unpleasant or not than to look like you are hiding something because people are suspicious and will likely jump to the worst possible conclusion.

So I’m still working on the story and from what I have learned, No Riverdale players used racial slurs against Lima Senior causing them to walk off the field and head home early.

Espinoza and his team want to put the whole episode behind them, rightfully so. They have had a terrific season and are concentrating on putting together the best tournament run they can.

Frey’s no comment, instead of coming clean with what happened and why and if players were or weren’t disciplined, have helped to keep things in the spotlight.

NOTEWORTHY:
NEW FACE AT UPPER: Upper Sandusky will have a new wrestling coach this winter. Chuck May was hired by Upper Sandusky board of education this week. Previous coach Bill Thornton resigned the position and will be the new middle school wrestling coach.

SECTIONAL START: Sectional volleyball tournaments get underway at various sites across Northwest Ohio Saturday. Teams will come back and play their second round matches Tuesday. District cross country also begins Saturday at Terra Community College, Ottawa’s Memorial Park and Oregon’s Pearson Park.

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