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Parents, students and coaches urge district action after Tria athletic-trainer contract lapses
Summary
Community members told the St. Paul Board of Education that Tria’s decision not to renew its contract left schools without daily athletic trainers and raised safety and equity concerns. Speakers urged the district to hire trainers directly or create district positions.
Community members urged the St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education on Aug. 19 to clarify who will provide athletic training services after Tria did not renew its contract with the district.
Public commenters said the change removes daily athlete-care support and shifts medical judgment to coaches. Several speakers asked the district to consider hiring athletic trainers as district employees or creating district-contracted trainer positions.
Mary Moore told the board Tria’s nonrenewal left families “not formally notified,” and that many students and caregivers “relied on Tria’s presence and invested significant time, trust, and resources into that relationship.” She pressed the district for protocols for concussion care, injury response and return-to-play decisions now that trainers are not present daily (remarks began at transcript time 778.335).
Student speaker Aden Mulligan Anderson said he suffered a fractured thumb and a concussion last year that likely would have been missed without an athletic trainer. “Trainers are professionals who are trained to see what others might miss, and they help keep us safe so we can keep playing the sports we love,” he said (remarks began at 965.71).
Parents and other speakers described the effect on coaches and students. James, a Johnson High School parent, said practices—where injuries commonly occur—are now riskier without on-site trainers and described trainers as both first responders and partners in rehabilitation. Jennifer Mulligan, mother of Aden, said the trainer’s insistence on a medical check changed the course of her son’s care after an injury that first looked minor.
Speakers framed the issue as a matter of student safety and equity, noting suburban schools often have full-time trainers and more athletic resources. Multiple speakers asked whether the district has considered creating two or three district trainer positions or hiring trainers directly; none of those changes was announced at the meeting.
Board members did not take formal action during public comment. Superintendent Dr. Joe Stanley acknowledged the concerns elsewhere in the meeting and introduced staff presentations later on readiness and safety, but did not announce a plan to hire trainers during the session.
The board’s public-comment period ended at 2017.03 in the transcript. The district did not provide families a formal notice in the board meeting record about Tria’s contract nonrenewal; speakers said families had not received formal notification.
