Re “After a Summit Meeting, Maya Cohn Case Is at a Standstill”
Dear Friends,
As some of you may know, my daughter Maya was barred from her final year of soccer at Culver City High School because her coach determined that her continued participation in Youth and Government was incompatible with her commitment to the team.
Because of Youth and Government, Maya may have missed only one game during the season and no practices. The coach, however, felt that this was unacceptable, and summarily dropped her from the team.
Maya is a returning third-year starting varsity senior. As a returning senior, Culver High School rules provide that she has the automatic right to return to the team with varsity status. Maya would not be taking a slot on the team that otherwise would have been reserved for another player.
During the prior two years, Maya missed only one game, and no practices because of her participation in Youth and Government. Despite her proven loyalty to the team, the coach imposed this new and arbitrary ruling without consultation with or notification to Maya. No prior notification of this new rule was given to her parents.
Maya was hurt and shocked by the coach's capricious actions. She had made many sacrifices to play Culver soccer. These sacrifices included giving up competitive cheerleading for Culver High at the urging of the soccer coach.
When we contacted the coach to determine why he had taken this unnoticed action, he pronounced that Youth and Government was a “joke.”
He referred to this nationally-recognized program as nothing more than a “party in Sacramento.” Without closely examining all of the facts, the school Athletic Director blindly backed the coach even though his decision was inconsistent with policy of other coaches and teams at Culver.
The Athletic Director ignored the fact that Youth and Government occupies a unique relationship with our schools. He was uninterested in the fact that in 2008, the Governor signed a law that amended the California Education Code that gave special status to Youth and Government.
Under this new law, participation in any sanctioned Youth and Government activity is classified as an excused absence from school, giving the student the right to make up missed homework or examinations. Moreover, schools will not be denied their Average Daily Attendance (ADA) allowance for any student absent at a Youth and Government activity.
My daughter is heartbroken that she is being denied the chance to play for Culver in her final year of eligibility. But the bigger question is whether we want to allow coaches the unfettered authority to determine which academic and extracurricular activities are compatible with competitive sports and which are not. Unless there are clearer guidelines and notification requirements, students and their parents will not know which activities a coach will accept or which he will reject.
On Tuesday evening at 7 o’clock, the Culver City School Board will formally address this important issue. It will not only examine the injustice towards Maya, but will discuss the overarching policy questions that have been unearthed by this controversy. The School Board meeting will be held at 4034 Irving Pl., Culver City.
Maya needs your support.
We need a school that honors its commitment to preserving academic options for our students.
Please attend. Let your voice be heard n this important topic.
Mr. Cohn may be contacted at john@globewestfinancial.com
