Parents, athletes ask board to restore senior banners amid campaign confusion
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Summary
Parents and senior athletes told the Green Local School District Board that booster decisions and uneven communication left some teams without the customary senior banners; the board said it would work with administration and the city to resolve the timing and number-of-banner issues.
Parents and senior athletes urged the Green Local School District Board of Education to resolve confusion over senior-athlete banners, saying the booster club and district messages left some teams expecting banners that were later denied.
"If this was a cost-saving issue then it should be across the board. All or nothing for all athletes," soccer parent Jolene Sitko told the board. Sitko said the all-sports booster club declined to fund Lifetouch banners for the boys soccer team and that some parents purchased a second banner from a local photographer. "We have 9 senior boys... the rule was only 1 banner is allowed. So which is it?"
Tony Haneberg, speaking on behalf of football families, said the banners "mean a lot more than that" and called them a public recognition of seniors' sacrifices. He asked the board to "consider working with the city to get those senior banners up quickly because the season is only so long."
Board members acknowledged the timing pressures, cited coordination with the city, and said administration would review the boosters' decisions and the display plan. "We will look into them and we'll discuss this with the administration to get you guys the things that you need," a board member said. The board did not take formal action; members asked administrators and the athletic director to clarify the booster role and the number and placement of banners.
Speakers also raised related concerns about scheduling home-site games so JV and varsity teams could play together for senior night; Sitko said requests to move a ninth-grade football game were met with "absolutely no collaboration." Board members asked administration to address communication and timing and to provide updates to families.
The booster group's governance and transparency were questioned by speakers; the booster website, Sitko said, had not been updated since 2021. Board members said the district itself does not control private booster funding but that the district would work with the boosters and the city to resolve display logistics during the season.