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Resident urges school board for transparency after volunteer coaching approval reversed
Summary
At public comment, Brandon Kendall said he had been previously approved to coach youth sports but was recently deemed unfit based on an old felony; he asked the board to explain the change and to provide a transparent appeal process. The board declined to respond during the meeting and said it would take the comment under advisement.
Brandon Kendall, a Jennings County resident, used the public-comment period to press the school board for an explanation after a previous volunteer coaching approval was revoked.
"For years, I was approved to coach under the exact same background. You're now using against me the felony being referenced as nearly 20 years old," Kendall said, telling the board he had previously passed background checks, completed a drug screen and volunteered for years without safety complaints. He said the recent decision felt like selective enforcement and said he could find no meaningful appeal process.
Kendall asked the board for "honesty, consistency, accountability, and a real due-process procedure for decisions like this," saying the change harmed his reputation and community involvement. He noted other organizations and parents had trusted him and said, "If second chances apply to some people, why not me? If the answer is policy, then show policy. If the answer is discretion, then explain why that discretion changed..."
The board president thanked Kendall for attending and said the board would not respond during the meeting but would "take it under advisement." The board did not provide a description of an appeals process or cite a specific policy during the meeting record.
Kendall’s remarks raise questions about how volunteer approvals and any appeal or review mechanisms are implemented by district staff; the board indicated it would review the comment but provided no immediate procedural remedy at the meeting.
