Resident calls for censure after vice chair’s public comments on student injury; community pushes for full‑time athletic trainer
Loading...
Summary
At the May 7 meeting Judy Krasby urged the committee to censure the vice chair for comments she said conceded district liability in a student injury case and urged the district to hire a full‑time athletic trainer; the committee did not take formal action during the meeting.
During public comment at the May 7 Sharon School Committee meeting, resident Judy Krasby accused the committee’s vice chair of publicly conceding district liability for a student’s serious injury and urged the committee to censure him and “do better” in media communications. Krasby also urged the committee to hire a full‑time athletic trainer, saying the district’s use of per‑diem trainers was inadequate to implement concussion protocols.
“...the vice chair of this committee went onto a media platform, Sharon TV, and announced that, the district and the school committee were entirely liable for the, Thanksgiving accident that led to incredible harm to 1 of our students,” Krasby said. She told the committee to review the town insurance policy for exclusions for “gross negligence and willful misconduct” and asked the committee to act: “I ask this committee to censure the vice chair... Do better.”
Krasby also said she heard Dr. Botello at a recent town meeting state the district had money in the budget for a trainer and that the district’s current practice was to hire per‑diem athletic trainers rather than a full‑time position. Other correspondence received by the committee, the school’s communications summary showed, included letters urging hiring a full‑time athletic trainer and public concerns following media coverage of the student injury.
Why it matters: Krasby’s comments raise questions about public statements by committee members, insurance coverage and whether the district should create a full‑time athletic‑trainer position to meet concussion‑management protocols. The committee did not act on the censure request during the meeting; censure would require a formal agenda item and a committee vote.
Chair Julie thanked Krasby for her comments and moved on to the next public speaker. The district’s summary of correspondence attached to the packet confirmed multiple letters raising similar concerns and requesting a full‑time athletic trainer.
Ending: No formal censure motion or committee action on hiring a full‑time athletic trainer occurred at the meeting; the topics remain matters for future agendaing, staff follow‑up or separate motions if members or the public request them.
