Volunteer parent complains of being barred from Proviso East field; asks for apology and records check

At the public-comment portion of the Proviso Township High School District 209 committee meeting, a registered volunteer parent who identified himself as Efrain Milagomez described being ordered off the Proviso East football field by Principal Hall and asked the board for a public apology and an explanation of why the volunteer paperwork was not recognized.

"My name is Efrain Milagomez. I'm a registered volunteer parent with the football and wrestling program for the past few years at Proviso East," Milagomez said. He told the board he has assisted with food, shirts and equipment, helped with practices, taught lifting and wrestling moves and had turned in volunteer paperwork to the school office.

Milagomez said Principal Hall approached the head coach and then approached him and "very rudely in front of the kids and all the other students and told me I needed to get off the field and not be around the kids." He said he and the head coach had taken the paperwork to the office and that he had not sought reimbursement for his work.

"He said, 'I haven't received nothing.' I said, 'yeah. You did. We, me and coach Grace, literally took it to the office.'" Milagomez asked the district to explain where the paperwork had gone and requested "a public apology in front of them" because he said the principal’s public admonition embarrassed the students and undermined volunteer relationships.

A district representative told Milagomez the district would follow up, and the public-comment item concluded without board action.