Union SD 5 Board Upholds Written Warnings for Parents After Heated Deliberation, 3-2

The Union School District Board voted 3–2 to uphold written warning letters that notify certain adults they will be excluded from district and OSAA‑sanctioned events for specified future violations.

Chair read the board’s options and said the meeting’s open-session deliberation would decide whether to uphold the written notices. After discussion about whether to limit sanctions to three repeatedly‑named parents or to apply a broader set of letters, a motion to uphold the warning letter with provisions for adjustments before next fall passed by a 3–2 margin.

Board members described the warning as a last formal step following years of repeated verbal admonitions. “A written formal warning is fair, it’s equitable, there’s no questions about it,” the Chair said during deliberations, arguing that the written notice provides a clear set of consequences.

Other members urged restraint. One member said the adults “knew darn good and well” the behavior was wrong and questioned whether a letter would change future conduct. The board ultimately directed staff and stakeholders — including coaches, parents, administrators and the athletic director — to produce a team handbook that lists concrete examples and consequences to make expectations explicit.

The board cited OSAA/OSA standards in the warning letters, noting violations of spectator conduct and the district’s sportsmanship statement; legal counsel on the phone cautioned that some remedies, such as forced apologies or physical removal without due process, carry legal risk. The board’s next steps include drafting the handbook over spring and summer and presenting a draft prior to next fall’s activity season.