Miss Yanni presented the Westerville City Schools Coach and Advisor Guidebook to the Board of Education on Sept. 8, saying the guide is available to staff through district bookmarks and that positions are posted in Frontline. She said the guide and an accompanying “coaches tool chest” centralize required certifications, annual professional development, and building- and district-level expectations.

Yanni said all coaches must hold a pupil-activity permit and complete yearly training, and that the guide clarifies supervision, security and safety expectations before, during and after practice. The guide emphasizes consistent communication among coaches, athletic directors, building administrators, athletic trainers (through OhioHealth) and families, and it recommends using adult-only apps when communicating with students.

The handbook includes district processes such as purchase-order requirements and the PowerSchool process for PE waivers, and it lays out end-of-season evaluations and anonymous student and family surveys. Yanni said the district has required end-of-season surveys for two years, administered each season through FinalForms, and uses survey findings in a biweekly “Chalk Talk” newsletter.

The guide also includes the “We Are the Ville” sportsmanship award and nominations for middle- and high-school students, and Yanni described an upcoming partnership with Coach Beyond and Ohio State University on mental-health programming for coaches, students and athletic directors. “They are a group … of social workers and mental health specialists,” she said of Coach Beyond.

Board members asked about whether the guide applies to middle schools (it does) and about name, image and likeness education; Yanni said counselors and athletic directors have begun conversations and the district will expand education on the topic. She said the guide’s material applies broadly to extracurricular teams, including band and choir, and could inform wider extracurricular handbooks in the future.