Parents and players demand answers after Mission Hills tennis coach’s dismissal

San Marcos — More than a dozen Mission Hills students, parents and community members addressed the San Marcos Unified board on Jan. 15, asking trustees to investigate and reverse the high-school tennis coach’s dismissal.

Students described Coach Ong as a positive, inclusive leader who improved the program’s performance and morale. "He built an inclusive program; he listened to all the players," said varsity captain Destiny Mendez. Parents presented a petition they said contains more than 120 signatures in support of reinstatement and alleged that administrative decisions were made without broad consultation.

Several speakers alleged a lack of transparency from Mission Hills administration and raised concerns about conflicts of interest involving booster-club relationships. "We were fed ever-evolving reasons with numerous mistruths, innuendo, and outright lies," parent Carissa (speaker 30) told the board, requesting a personnel audit of site leadership. Another parent, Mikaela, expressed concern that new court usage for private junior teams (JTT) could limit equitable access for Mission Hills students.

Assistant Superintendent Garcia responded that personnel matters are confidential and investigations are handled with due process; privacy laws limit the district’s ability to disclose details publicly. Garcia said the district would seek ways to meet with parents and students to explain what information can be shared and to try to resolve outstanding concerns.

What happens next: Parents asked trustees to open an independent review; the board did not vote on personnel actions during the meeting and emphasized the limits of public disclosure around personnel investigations.