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Board refers facility weight-room access policy (4330P) to committee after broad debate over supervision and liability
Summary
Superintendent introduced draft policy 4330P to tighten access to weight rooms and similar facilities; coaches and community members argued for supervised access, waiver/application options and paid supervision. The board voted to send the draft to a committee for further refinement.
The Columbus School Board voted to refer draft facility policy 4330P—covering weight-room and unsupervised access—to a committee after an extended discussion that split coaches, parents and district leaders over safety and access.
Superintendent (speaker 6) said legal counsel and the district’s insurer view unsupervised access as a “huge liability,” recounting recent incidents of nonstudents and teenagers in school halls and noting that the district had purchased new locks and received propped-door alerts. “Legal counsel and our insurance company said it's a huge liability, and our obligation is to ensure that proper supervision is in our building at all times, especially for students,” the superintendent said.
Coaches pushed back, saying supervised access is important for student athletes’ training and schedules. Jeremy (speaker 4), who identified himself as a girls’ basketball coach and weights/PE teacher, urged flexibility for coaches and appealed for a path that would allow students access during supervised blocks: “As a coach, I want the girls to have access…sometimes that’s where they can go,” he said. Several coaches and others recommended a system of defined supervised hours, paid supervision (possibly funded by community education), and an application/waiver process so a small cohort of responsible students could have approved access.
Community members and other speakers raised security concerns about key-sharing and late-night entries. Tracy Osborne (speaker 9) described footage of people in the gym at 1:00 a.m. and argued that ad hoc exceptions would be difficult to enforce: “Once you say this group of kids can come in, then where do you say this group of kids isn’t responsible enough?” she asked.
Other proposed mitigations included camera monitoring during supervised hours, limiting which doors provide access, clearer signage and an adult-on-duty model. District staff described prior short-term solutions—hiring student or seasonal monitors through community-education funds—and noted challenges in recruiting reliable supervisors.
After hearing testimony and cross-talk from coaches, staff and parents about equipment damage, supervision costs and the practicalities of locking/door behavior, Chair (speaker 3) called the motion to refer the policy to a committee. The motion passed by voice vote. The superintendent and board members said the committee will refine the language (including exceptions for team supervision), explore implementation details such as hours and paid supervision, then return a polished draft to the full board.
The committee referral means the board made no final change to access rules at this meeting; the policy will return for additional review and a future vote.
