Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Parents and staff press Comal ISD over Canyon High football culture, ask for accountability
Loading...
Summary
Multiple parents and district staff told the Comal ISD board on Nov. 20 that Canyon High School’s football program has a harmful culture of exclusion and poor communication around player safety, and several asked the board to order an accountability review.
More than a half-dozen parents and district staff used the public-comment period at the Comal ISD Board of Trustees’ Nov. 20 meeting to ask the board to investigate the coaching culture at Canyon High School.
Parents recounted a pattern of behavior they say left players excluded from the varsity locker room, demoted without explanation and inadequately supported after injuries. Kim Roth said her son was moved to special teams, “you deflated that heart with harsh words and a cold shoulder,” and that the treatment ultimately prompted him to leave the program. Courtney Letsworth said a season-ending practice injury to her son occurred in the morning and “there was no phone call to either parent,” adding she only learned of the injury later the same day.
Other speakers described similar experiences. Allison Neal, a Comal ISD employee and parent, asked the board and Canyon administration to “do an accountability review,” saying the campus culture at Canyon High is “deflating.” Lauren Dulock described collecting anonymous survey responses from roughly 20 families reporting repeated patterns of exclusion and negative coach comments; Jessica Harlow read a statement from another parent who described a perceived lack of professionalism and denied a fair appeal process after a player was removed from the team.
Board President Courtney Biasotti thanked speakers and said the district would follow up on concerns raised during public comment. The board did not take any formal personnel action in open session on Nov. 20; several items later on the agenda were placed in closed session as authorized by the Texas Government Code for matters that may include personnel and evaluation.
The public comments request a formal accountability review and clearer communication about athlete safety protocols. Parents asked for verification of notification procedures after injuries, transparent appeal procedures for roster decisions, and a broader review of coaching practices at Canyon High. The board’s president said staff would follow up; the public-comment speakers urged a timeline and concrete steps.
The next scheduled Comal ISD board meeting is Dec. 11, 2025. The board did not announce a timeline for an accountability review during the Nov. 20 open session.
