Farmersville Unified board moves to standardize athletics communication, coach training and contracts

Farmersville Unified School District trustees on Jan. 27 heard district administrators outline steps to align junior-high and high-school athletic programs with CIF guidelines and district expectations, emphasizing coach training, standardized athlete contracts and consistent communication platforms.

The presentation came after board members asked district staff to review how coaches communicate with players and families and how CIF-recommended trainings are being used. Dr. Gonzales, principal at Farmersville High School, said the district’s goal is to "strengthen current practices while looking for ways to increase consistency, improve student athlete safety, and alignment between schools with district expectations, CIF guidelines, and most important, support the needs of our student athletes and families." David Mayson, high school athletic director, said coaches are being encouraged to move to group-based platforms such as Band app and ParentSquare and that head coaches have completed required trainings including CPR, first aid, concussion protocols, heat-illness prevention and fundamentals of coaching.

Chris Sanchez, principal at Farmville Junior High School, described a renewed emphasis on shared documents such as the student-parent athletic handbook and site-level contracts that set attendance and academic expectations for athletes. "At the junior high, most of our coaches, I would say 98% are staff members," Sanchez said, adding the site is updating contracts to be more closely aligned with the handbook. District staff told the board they expect new coaches to complete the fundamentals-of-coaching requirement within their first year and will continue outreach to walk-on coaches who may not use district communication platforms.

Public commenters and trustees pressed the district on several operational points. One parent raised concerns about individual texting between coaches and students and urged one consistent, recorded communication method for mass logistics such as early morning bus loads. A board member asked whether there would be consequences if coaches did not adopt the approved platforms; administrators said they plan to push Band app and ParentSquare as the preferred solutions and to provide training and support for coaches who are less familiar with the apps.

Board members also discussed the need for a standard, district-level coach contract with room for program addenda so expectations are clear across sports. Speakers called for clarity around dual-sport participation (noting an 18-hour-per-week practical limit discussed under CIF rules), distribution of signed contracts to families, and ensuring parent volunteers are certified and trained. The board asked staff to provide a rough draft of the athletic contract, including the communication platform and enforcement timeline, at a future meeting.

The high school and junior high presentations and the ensuing discussion concluded without a formal vote but produced a set of follow-up directions for staff: adopt group communication platforms broadly, finalize coach trainings for walk-on coaches, and return to the board with a draft district athletic contract for review.