Student says esports club stalled by district procedures, limited advertising and delayed advisor

A Tenafly High School student told the board that efforts to start a school esports club were stalled by administrative constraints, limited ability to advertise, restrictions on school computers and a lengthy delay in assigning an adviser.

"We got approved. We had a whole plan laid out for the future, but there were many, many issues that we faced," said Henry Nashville Watts, a student who works in the district control room and who described starting the club in October. He said organizers were limited to word‑of‑mouth outreach and that initial membership fell to two or three students before later growing.

Watts said he and club organizers repeatedly emailed Principal Jim Morrison and another administrator, Caputo, and met with them in January. He said administrators asked the club to rework its proposal and that the students were told they could not use school computers and could not advertise beyond word‑of‑mouth unless technical plans were exhaustively reviewed.

Why it matters: the complaint raises questions about how student clubs are supported, how quickly advisers are assigned and what promotional channels the district permits. The student said the delay and communication gaps discouraged members and hampered recruitment.

Board response: a trustee thanked the student for speaking and said the district would follow up; no formal board action was taken at the meeting.

Ending: the student asked the board to "work on that and attempt to vote on that"—an appeal for administrative follow‑up rather than an immediate board decision.