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Parent urges Munster school board to prioritize girls varsity softball field
Summary
At the April 13 board meeting, parent and attorney Michelle Wliger urged the School Town of Munster to commit to creating a dedicated varsity softball field for girls, saying current playing surfaces are unsafe and that prioritization decisions have disadvantaged female athletes.
Michelle Wliger, a parent and local attorney, told the School Town of Munster Board of Trustees on April 13 that the district’s varsity softball players lack a safe, dedicated field and asked the board to set timelines and priorities to correct that. “Our fields are some of the worst fields I’ve seen,” Wliger said, describing gravel surfaces with divots and uneven hops that make sliding dangerous and increase the risk of rolled ankles.
Wliger said the community’s facilities lag behind neighboring towns and that the lack of a dedicated field prevents the girls’ program from hosting events, generating concessions revenue, fundraising and inviting tournaments. “When the decision was made to prioritize boys fields over girls,” she said, “that really sort of upset me,” and asked the board for a public commitment and reasonable deadlines to achieve a dedicated varsity field.
Board members acknowledged the concern and encouraged follow‑up. The superintendent's office and board staff said members who had additional comments could email the board and that the district would accept further written input. The public comment came during the meeting’s designated section for comments tied to action items.
The board took no formal action on the request at the meeting; Wliger’s remarks were recorded as part of public testimony for the district’s facilities planning process. The district’s operations and athletics teams later reported in the meeting on ongoing construction projects, long‑range facilities work and athletic facility improvements; specifics about scheduling, funding or timelines for a girls’ varsity field were not decided at this session.
