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Parents say dual athletic director/principal assignment hurt oversight after eligibility errors
Summary
Parents at the May 27 Ithaca City School District board meeting urged the district to end a temporary dual assignment of athletic director and elementary principal after eligibility paperwork errors disrupted the lacrosse season and other events.
Parents and students pressed the Ithaca City School District Board of Education on May 27 to review a district decision that assigned a single administrator to serve as both an athletic director and an elementary school principal, saying the dual role contributed to eligibility and paperwork errors that disrupted at least one varsity team.
Alisa Simons, identifying herself as a parent of a senior on the boys varsity lacrosse team and two ICSD graduates, said the problem “is about more than one administrative mistake” and tied recurring eligibility and paperwork lapses to the dual assignment. “Assigning one person to both the athletic director and elementary principal role is a significant responsibility, and it appears that this dual role may have contributed to gaps in key functions like eligibility verification,” Simons said.
Other parents echoed those concerns. Karen LaFace told the board she had heard families worry that speaking up could produce repercussions for student-athletes and said the dual role “leads to at least a less robust focus on our athletes, the teams, and their ability to reach their goals.” Mary Beth Inken and Julia Gorman also urged clearer communication and said families want the district to consider alternative arrangements.
Superintendent Dr. Brown said the reassignment was a personnel choice made midyear and noted that it was discussed in executive session. “It won't be a matter... that we will have someone who's both the athletic director and a principal of the school. That's just not going to happen,” Dr. Brown told the board, adding that hiring a permanent replacement would take time.
Board members acknowledged the public comments but emphasized the constraints of speaking during public comment and the limits on back-and-forth discussion in the meeting format. The board and superintendent encouraged people with concerns about threats or harassment to follow district communication protocols and, where appropriate, DASA (the Dignity for All Students Act) processes.
No formal board action was taken at the meeting; members said they and the administration would continue to examine the structure and oversight of athletic compliance and to discuss options for filling administrative roles.
The parents requested more public transparency about staffing decisions and for the district to include families, coaches and students in efforts to rebuild trust and fix eligibility processes.
