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Parents raise complaints at supervisors meeting over SportsPlex uniforms and coach conduct; board urges local follow-up
Summary
Several parents complained that some teams at the Greenville SportsPlex were charged for uniforms they did not receive and that certain coaches were singling out students by race and age; supervisors urged the SportsPlex board and county staff to address the issues.
Multiple parents told the Washington County Board of Supervisors that coaches at the Greenville SportsPlex had charged uniform fees without delivering uniforms and that some coaches were publicly questioning the ages of Black girls on teams, creating self-esteem concerns.
Alexis Estfitz said her child's team paid $75 for uniforms that never arrived. "We were ordered to pay him a $75 fee for uniforms. However, we never received the uniforms," Estfitz told the board. She said she had text-message documentation of conversations in which a coach said he would reimburse parents but had not done so.
Estfitz also said her team received only a simple shirt rather than the ordered uniforms and that two teams coached by the same coach were the only ones without proper uniforms. The board chair said county staff and officials would follow up with Estfitz after the meeting to resolve the payment and uniform delivery issue.
Supervisors also heard complaints that some coaches were making age or body comparisons among players in ways parents found harmful. A board member said the SportsPlex board should address background checks and coach supervision. "...if something like that happens, don't hesitate to give me a call or something," a supervisor advised public commenters.
The supervisors said the SportsPlex board (which receives county funding) should review complaints and that county appointees to the SportsPlex board would bring concerns back to the county if there was evidence of misconduct. No formal discipline or policy change was adopted at the meeting; supervisors asked staff and appointed supervisors to investigate and report back.
