Parent says poor field conditions left Valley Central athlete with season-ending injury

Tara Gianoni, a resident of the village of Montgomery and parent of students in seventh and eleventh grades, used the public-comment portion of the Sept. 20 Valley Central board meeting to press the district on the condition of its athletic fields.

"Every year, I write a check for my school taxes in the amount nearly $8,000," Gianoni said, asking what portion of the budget goes to field upkeep. She described the varsity surface as "overgrown crabgrass-ridden" with bald spots, divots and thorny weeds, and urged trustees to walk the field themselves.

Gianoni recounted two recent incidents she said illustrate safety risks: a JV soccer player who struck her head on a rock and, at the home football opener, her son who "broke his leg because his leg locked out, planting his foot in one of the crab-grass patches" and will miss the season. "If there's any divot on the plane surface or uneven field conditions for these players, the likelihood of an injury vastly increases," she said.

She asked multiple operational questions of the board: who is responsible for facility upkeep, when fields were last aerated and seeded, and whether irrigation systems have been tested and maintained. Gianoni said she was not asking for artificial turf but for safe, well-maintained playing surfaces.

Board members accepted a copy of her remarks to follow up with administration; no vote or immediate action was taken during the meeting.

What's next: the speaker asked for responses from district facilities staff and for clearer information about maintenance schedules and budget allocations for playing fields.