Parkway Schools flap

ROCKFORD - A Parkway school board member resigned and about 60 parents, students and coaches attended Monday's meeting to protest the alleged treatment of two high school wrestling coaches.

Board members started the meeting with an executive session to discuss "charges or complaints against an employee, official or student." Board members said they hoped to keep the meeting brief to address the public's concerns but met for more than 45 minutes.

After the session, they took no action, and only two attendees were invited to speak. Middle school football and wrestling coach Mike Langenkamp voiced his frustration over the treatment of two high school varsity wrestling coaches, Jeremy Joseph and Jeff Farmer, and claimed the two had been removed from their positions.

Superintendent Jeanne Osterfeld said only that the coaches had been reassigned. Administrators would not release personnel records about actions involving the coaches without a formal request, she added. Board member Kristin Hamrick was the only member to discuss the action, shortly before she resigned.

The speakers said the coaches had been removed from their positions only days before the sectional tournament two weeks ago. The district tournament roster from this past weekend did not have either coach listed but designated athletic director Matt Triplett as coach.

"By now, I'm sure most of you are aware as to why I'm here tonight," Langenkamp started. "For those of you who aren't aware, there has been some wrongful actions taken against some of our community members, so I'm here to take action and raise the question: How do you let go of two coaches that have put in hours of their own time to help build this program to what it is today without any complaints against them in the past year? I'll tell you. It comes from one person's dissent, decisions, opinions and lies."

Langenkamp claimed the two coaches were removed from their positions without approval from the school board and were not given a chance to defend themselves.

"If you ask me, the school is at fault for letting it get this out of hand," Langenkamp continued. "They've had multiple opportunities to nip these actions in the bud with appropriate documentation from parents and coaches, but nothing has been done but sweep it under the rug."

He went on to say the crowd at Monday's meeting was there to focus on the situation. Langenkamp asserted that he, other coaches and faculty are worried they will not be defended by district officials.

Treya Conn, a senior Parkway wrestler, spoke on behalf of herself and her team. Conn said losing the coaches has devastated the team because the coaches are like family.

"Jeremy and Jeff went above and beyond while coaching our wrestling team," she said. "Jeremy and Jeff care about each person on the team. They cried with me when I made it to state. They have always given us inspiration to keep going."

Conn also alluded to outside influence and wrongdoing against the coaches.

"False statements and accusations have been made about my coaches," she said. "Greed and personal vendettas are why we are here right now. Unjust influence and pressures to make hasty decisions should not define how issues are handled at the school."

Osterfeld said the coaches have not been fired or terminated, but said that their contracts were up for renewal, and they had been reassigned. Osterfeld did not say to where the coaches have been reassigned.

Toward the end of the meeting, Hamrick addressed the crowd and distanced herself from fellow board members before announcing her immediate resignation. She said she was unhappy with the discussion in executive session and could no longer work under the current condition.

Hamrick, who had served on the board for about a year, said she felt as though she had not been heard by other board members and said the school board should fulfill its role and not be a "social club board."

Hamrick said she decided to resign based on how board members and the superintendent had responded to the situation as well as community input.

"I wish I could continue to fight for you," she said. "But when told behind closed doors (that) what the superintendent says we as a board must follow, when told we needed to open this to the public and the majority stated not to because they didn't want the press to get ahold of it, what do we have to hide?"

As Hamrick wrapped up her resignation in tears, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Although Osterfeld said the coaches had been reassigned, Farmer, who attended the meeting, gave a different account.

Farmer said about two weeks ago he was asked to come to the school as soon as possible, asked to turn in his keys and informed he was not needed to coach. When asked if he had been reassigned, Farmer said if he had been, he wasn't sure to where he'd been reassigned.

"I don't know where I was reassigned to," he said. "We were called in two days before the sectional tournament and said we were not needed to show up at practice that day."

Farmer, who has been varsity coach for three years, said he was humbled by the attendees' show of support and proud of Hamrick's decision to resign.

"Without the support of the people here tonight, I couldn't be here," Farmer said. "I love coaching kids, I love working with kids, and I love getting kids to excel to their highest potential, maybe higher than what they know they can do. Any coach should be willing to put his or her whole life into that position."