Parents tell trustees they faced favoritism and retaliation in Golden Valley football program

During the general public comment portion of the meeting three parents raised concerns about the Golden Valley High School football program.

Lesley Nesh, who identified herself as a concerned parent and advocate for Golden Valley student‑athletes, said she had documented incidents over four years that amount to “ongoing and serious issues” including favoritism, bias and lack of accountability. She told trustees her son, she said, was repeatedly overlooked and ultimately removed from the roster in what she characterized as retaliation. “When student athletes start experiencing mental health struggles because of how they are treated by coaches, something is fundamentally wrong,” Nesh said.

Angela Pangelina said her son Aiden — who the speaker said was born with acute epilepsy and had limited contact play until medically cleared — waited years to play football and earned a soft offer from Fresno State before he was limited by coaching decisions. Pangelina said she followed district complaint channels (coaches, athletic director, administration), filed a written complaint and still felt the situation had not been addressed.

Mario Perez described an incident in which he said Coach Martinez accused his son of posting a video, apologized later, but then his son did not play and was subsequently removed from the team roster. Perez said he has photos showing his son being removed from a huddle and urged coaches to be held accountable for inconsistent discipline.

Trustees did not take immediate action during the public comment period. Multiple trustees later said they would follow up and consider next steps about the parents’ concerns.