Coaching in high school can be challenging.
With school districts being more competitive than ever, coaches get fired easily
for various reasons. While some of these reasons may be lawful, others
seemingly are not. A job loss can be a
difficult experience and cause significant challenges, but it can also raise a
number of legal issues and questions regarding a coaches' rights. If a coach
has been released, or fired, a high school may end up dealing with issues such
as severance pay, non-competition agreements, wrongful termination claims, and
much more.
Some coaches employment status
is “at will”, meaning that an employee can be terminated at any time and for
almost any reason. Still, there may be situations where a termination is
illegal. Such terminations include:
•
Is
contrary to an employment agreement, like one that grants tenure or specifies
the situations where one can be let go.
•
Violates
federal or state anti-discrimination laws, like those that prohibit
discrimination based on race, color, age, national origin,
disability, and religion.
•
Retaliates
against employees for exercising their rights, like reporting unlawful
activities or dangerous work conditions.
If a coach believes that he/she was
terminated for an unlawful reason, they may have a
right to bring a claim for wrongful termination against their former employer.
Legal remedies that may be available to coaches include money damages and
possibly getting their job back. If a coach believes the termination or release
is for an unlawful reason, they should talk to an attorney.
All coaches should fight for their rights to coach if they love the kids that they are working with. In my last years of high school, the new athletic director did not agree with the coaching styles that some of the coaches had who had been coaches at my school for years. The school board believed that following the new athletic directors wishes of getting rid of those coaches was more beneficial to the athletic department. The coaches that were riding the line were coaches that were always positive and had great relationships with all their athletes. Students began passing around petitions and fought the school board to not let those coaches go. We knew that our fight would not be much but it was important that we showed how important they were to us athletes to have around. The coaches did not give up their fight either but the school went snooping finding legitimate reason to get rid of them. I think that if a coach loves the school as well as the kids that they are coaching, do not let someone stop you.
ReplyDeleteThe way some coaches get treated is definitely a touchy subject. I feel like coaches can get fired these days for just looking in the wrong direction at the wrong time. I feel like unless its a question of ethics, coaches have a right to keep or fight for their jobs. Coaches put in so many hours and keep busy for too many hours of the day to have their jobs questioned so easily these days. The softer this country gets, the harder it is going to be for coaches to "do the right thing" and not get in trouble for something small. Coaches are disciplining and raising children, they need more credit than they get.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me coaches get fired for many reasons. The main reason I have noticed why coaches get fired is based on performance of the team. If a team has done poorly for a while it’s likely the coach won’t be there much longer. Is that fair? In today’s world I feel like nothing is technically “fair” its survival of the fittest and the best will outlast the others. Being terminated for poor performance is something that is lawful. That being said there are many other reasons get fired like you stated. I believe that schools that terminate their coaches for unlawful reasons should be punished to the max! People’s lives are dependent upon their jobs to survive for their families. Taking these jobs away from coaches is corrupt. If this situation arises I believe that the coaches should get nothing less than their jobs back and even maybe a raise. Now that isn’t probably how things go but that is my personal opinion on what should happen if a coach is terminated unlawfully.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good topic because as the high school athletics get more competitive more the coaches are held to higher standards which are something that comes with the territory, but there are more aspects that go into it. For example, I do not think a coach should be fired if it has one or two bad season because unlike college and professional athletes, the high school coaches did not get to choose the players on their team, they had to settle for the athletes they had in that school. So for high school coaches I think it is sort of a tough call. Now if the team has good players and there are no reasons for why they are losing then yeah the coach should be fired, or if the coach has four or five losing seasons in a row than yeah it is time to do something different, but I think high school coaches should at least get a two year grace period.
ReplyDeleteHigh school athletic coaches are held to the highest standard, more so than any others in the workforce. The bar should never be lowered for this profession as they lead young developing minds throughout their high school careers and beyond. Coaches helped create the competitive atmosphere that drives the athletic world. Sadly, many do not survive in this environment. As for other legal issues that could implicate a coach’s position, there is no difference from any other profession. When a coach at any level is fired, it is mainstream news, others not so much.
ReplyDeleteI feel like coaches are put under the spotlight more than most teachers or professors because they are constantly around their athletes and create a relationship with them that goes to a more personal level. This close relationship that coaches have with their athletes has caused many controversies and coaches to be fired because people speculate and think the wrong thing from it. I feel that as long as the relationship is entirely plutonic it is harmless and even necessary. If these coaches don't have this relationship with their athletes, they will not get the respect that they deserve and the team will not do as well as it could.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this. In my home town we used to have a really amazing coach who connected with the students and everyone loved him. I come from a small town where its a bunch of racist elderly people and their kids who said they weren't rasict but they were. This coach happened to be black. The people in the town who disagreed with their kids being coached by a black man would go up and complain to the school left and right. The school was almost about to fire him, due to the outrage of some parents and grandparents. All of the students stood up and stopped it from happening. They finally just had to tell parents that they couldn't do anything about it really. Its little ridiculous reasons like these that could make a really good person loose a job that they love and that's supporting their family. It's unfair.
ReplyDeletei can really relate this to my school. we have had so many coaches go in and out of that school cause of the way they coach or not being fair and picking favorites. And doing bad/silly immature things. This article really opened my eyes
ReplyDeleteCoaches can not pick the students that they teach;therefore, I think coaches shouldn't be evaluated on their records. However, we did have a coach at my high school that because he had a good football record they wouldn't fire him. But he would pick on the students and even call the cheerleaders names.
ReplyDeleteI believe that a good coach is not only someone that can get their teams wins but also someone that genially cares for the team. If they are fired because of discrimination then by all means fight it but why would you want to work for someone who thinks that low of you. We had this football coach which did win us a state championship but he was the biggest jerk and most conceded person ever. Therefore I thought he was a terrible coach. A coach should be a all around good coach. Yes strict and makes you work your butt off but they should also be rewarding toward their players not just for themselves
ReplyDeleteTo be a good coach it not a about winning records like stated above you have to genuinely care about the students and athletes you are looking after. My high school had a coach that could produce wins but was so rude to his athletes. He would grab them by the face mask and curse at them. No athlete deserves that. Coaches should be a role model for their athletes not tear them down.
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