Parents press Pascack Valley board to replace varsity football coach, cite safety and communication failures
Summary
Multiple parents told the Pascack Valley board that the varsity football program suffered from leadership failures, missed required paperwork, inadequate conditioning and preparation, and safety risks; petition counts were cited (approximately 15 player names and nearly 200 community signatures) and parents urged prompt administrative action.
Several parents used the board’s public-comment period to urge the Pascack Valley Regional High School District to review and change the varsity football head coach, citing safety, preparation, and communication failures.
At the start of public comment, Bob McMorrow of Riverville said he had emailed the district with concerns and later met with administrator Van Kursen; he said a player petition of “approximately 15 players’ names” had been submitted and warned that allowing the coach to remain would “place the players and the program at risk.”
Jody Tester, who identified herself as an active parent and long-time PFA volunteer, expressed broader concerns about district performance and recommended an oversight review during the upcoming superintendent search. Tester asked the board to examine guidance and college-admission relationships after noting a drop in state ranking for the district’s schools.
Jose Decosta of Rivervale said the program’s record and operations declined under the current head coach and argued the deficiencies went beyond wins and losses to include player safety: inadequate conditioning, poor communication about required forms, substitution errors, and inconsistent preparation. Decosta told the board that “nearly 200 community members have signed a petition calling for change,” and urged the board to act “swiftly to perpetuate coaching change.”
Marsada Faratovic of Hillsdale described operational failures she said carried liability risks: required physicals (noted deadline July 31) and helmet consent forms were not distributed in a timely way, summer workouts lacked intensity, and equipment inventory was incomplete; she urged the administration to review equipment accountability and to hold leadership accountable.
Board staff acknowledged past meetings and that an administrator had spoken with at least one parent, but no personnel action or formal disciplinary outcome was recorded during the meeting. Parents’ claims about petition sizes and specific compliance failures were presented as allegations; the board did not announce a response or next-step on the record at the meeting.
The matters raised in public comment concern student safety and district compliance with required medical and equipment paperwork. The board adjourned without taking a recorded personnel vote or issuing a public directive during this session.
