Students and parents demand answers after abrupt dismissal of Newport Harbor tennis coaches

Dozens of Newport Harbor High School students and parents urged the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board on Tuesday to explain the abrupt dismissal of the school's tennis coaches.

Students and speakers described the coaches —am, Carson and Sid Ball— father-and-sons coaching trio—s central to the team's culture and recent success, and they asked the board to either reinstate the coaches or provide clear reasons for their removal. "All I'm asking for is clarity," student Audrey Solomon told the board, explaining that repeated coaching turnover has taken a toll on players and their mental health.

Parent speakers emphasized the coaches' experience and the program's momentum. "They were a breath of fresh air to this program," John McCrae said, adding that he believed the decision might have been "a political decision," a claim no district official substantiated during the meeting.

Superintendent Smith thanked speakers for their advocacy but said the dismissal is a site-level personnel decision and that the district does not discuss details of individual personnel matters. "School districts do not comment on personnel matters," Smith said, while acknowledging the disruption such transitions cause for student-athletes. Smith also told the board the site currently has two on-campus coaches leading the program and the district is planning to add a third.

Board members did not take a vote to reinstate the coaches during the meeting. Trustees and staff encouraged families to bring site-level questions to the appropriate school administrators and noted that personnel appeal pathways are limited for on-site staffing decisions.

The board did not provide additional personnel details or change the district's published policy that limits comment on individual personnel matters. Community members said they will continue to press for greater transparency at the school site and through subsequent public meetings.