Here is the story — in their own words — of a recently flared, unresolved dust-up between a Culver City High School senior, who dearly wants to return to the school soccer team she has played for the last two years, and her clash with a lately instituted school policy that school officials say makes her return impossible.
According to her family, Maya Cohn, daughter of John Cohn, a daily essayist for this newspaper, was shocked about two weeks ago, when the roster for the girls’ soccer team for the just-starting season was posted on campus.
Her name was not included.
The explanation turned out this way:
Because Ms. Cohn was also active in another group, the YMCA’s Youth in Government, which the soccer coach allegedly had criticized, she would not be allowed to join the soccer team.
The reason: Her membership in a second group violated Coach Scott Mair’s newly formulated policy that he only wanted “fully committed” student athletes on his team. That, he reportedly said, would preclude active participation in any other group.
Ms. Cohn was stunned by the verdict.
The coach still has not spoken to her, told her why to her face, said her father. The irony is, said Mr. Cohn, that two years ago when his daughter, then a sophomore, was a cheerleader, Mr. Mair encouraged her to drop cheerleading and join his soccer team.
In the past fortnight, Mr. Cohn and Culver High Athletic Director Jerry Chabola have exchanged a series of emails. They are reproduced below.
Mr. Cohn said today he thought the deprivation ruling was especially outrageous because Youth in Government not only is a noble group, its schedule in no way interferes with soccer team activities. His daughter’s attendance/participation record in soccer is virtually perfect.
Further, said Mr. Cohn, his daughter would not miss any scheduled soccer activitity, not one practice, not one match. The lone possible exception, he said, is in mid-February. If the team qualifies for the playoffs, she could miss one potential playoff match.
Given these circumstances, Mr. Chabola, the athletic director, was asked if missing one potential match, that may never be played, is a justification for excluding a student athlete who badly wants to play.
Yes, said Mr. Chabola, because it violates Mr. Mair’s policy of full commitment by all players.
Herewith the correspondence.
Mr. Cohn’s email to Athletic Director Jerry Chabola on Nov. 22. It also was sent to Asst. Principal Ian Drummond, the school administrator charged with overseeing sports programs.
Dear Coach Chabola,
I am writing you regarding my daughter Maya’s exclusion from the High School Girls Soccer Team. According to the team Coach Scott Mair, Maya was excluded from eligibility for the team because of her continued involvement with the YMCA Youth and Government program.
I do not dispute that any coach has the full discretion to decide which players have the skills to help his or her team succeed. In this instance, however, Coach Mair specifically told me that his decision was not based on evaluation of Maya’s soccer skill, but was solely a result of her participation in this nationally recognized program.
For the past two years, Maya has been both a member of the Girls Varsity Soccer Team and an active participant in Youth and Government. At no time has she ever been informed that the two activities were incompatible. In the past two years, she has missed only two games as a result of her participation in Youth and Government.
As you may be aware, each year, more than 100 students at Culver High participate in Youth and Government. These students begin the Youth and Government sign up process during the spring semester for the coming school year. Students like Maya who seek leadership positions in Youth and Government declare their intentions during the summer and are elected to office before the fall school term begins.
If Coach Mair and the Culver High athletic program planned to exclude students from interscholastic team eligibility because of their participation in Youth and Government, or any other extra-curricular or religious activity, then notification of this new policy should have been given prior last spring, or at some point before commencement of the fall term. No such prior notification, however, was given to Maya or her parents.
During my conversation with Coach Mair about his decision to disqualify Maya, he stated that he and the other coaches at the school had a decidedly negative view of Youth and Government. He specifically referred to the program as “nothing more than a party in Sacramento.” This statement not only insults my daughter, but also denigrates the School Board members and civil leaders such as Dr. Dana Russell and Councilmember Mehaul O’Leary who have been active participants in Youth and Government-sponsored events, including its annual Sacramento programs.
Coach Mair’s stance on Youth and Government is also inconsistent with both State law and academic policy.
On November 9, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 278 into law. This law amends the California Education Code adding Youth and Government to the list of excused absences from school. Under this law, students who miss school because of their involvement with Youth and Government also must be permitted to make up any missed assignments or tests. Finally, the law states that schools will no longer lose funding for students who are absent due to attending Youth and Government conferences.
Coach Mair’s decision to exclude Maya not only clashes with State law, but also conflicts with the prevailing academic view towards Youth and Government at Culver High School. Teachers such as Maya’s AP Government instructor, award their students credit for their participation in Youth and Government. Given this academic endorsement at Culver High, it makes no sense that students like Maya should be penalized and excluded from team play for participating in this valued extra-academic program.
On a personal note, Maya is a returning senior and has been anticipating her return to the team for her final year. As one of only two returning seniors, she was looking forward to bringing her leadership and experience to the team. As you can imagine, Coach Mair’s decision has created considerable upset for Maya.
Like my older daughter Hana, Maya has been involved with Culver athletics throughout her high school career. In addition to soccer, Maya was also a member of the Varsity competitive Cheerleading team. As a member of ASB, Maya was a key coordinator of this year’s Homecoming events and recently was an organizer of a pep rally to support the Culver High football team.
In summary, we believe that Maya has been treated in an unfair and inconsistent fashion. Both my daughter and I would be willing to meet with you in order to more fully address these issues.
Thank you in advance for your courtesy.
John Cohn
Jerry Chabola’s email to Mr. Cohn on Nov. 24.
Dear Mr. Cohn
The 2 memos you sent went to Mr. Drummond. He forwarded those to my school e-mail address late Sunday afternoon and I read them for the first time Monday, November 23rd. Although you addressed them to me, I never received from you either one of the e-mails. Yes, I am happy to meet with you regarding this situation. As I understand the situation the girls soccer coaches had a meeting September 11th at CCHS to go over the player requirements for this year. Copies of the team requirements were passed out to the players. One of the issues discussed was commitment to the program. As a result of commitments outside the soccer program there were impacts on the teams and seasons. Players missing games became an issue and the coaches decided that players needed to commit to the CCHS Girls Soccer program for the entire season. In past years the experience was that players missed games for non school programs that impacted both the varsity and junior varsity teams. The girls soccer coaches attempted in the last three years to accommodate players based on the fact that parents were willing to incur the additional expense to fly the students to and from Sacramento so as not to impact the soccer season. Some students would not agree to that and decided to miss games even though their parents were willing to pay for the flights to and from Sacramento. Other parents agreed to do that and then never followed through leaving the teams short of players. As a result the coaches made the decision that outside activities should not have a negative impact on the program and the other players. I agree with that. Players make a commitment to the team and need to follow through with that commitment.
To my knowledge, Youth and Government is not a school sponsored program. Let me know when you would like to meet.
Sincerely,
Jerry Chabola
Mr. Cohn’s response to Mr. Chabola on Nov. 25:
Coach Chabola,
Thank you for your response.
At no time did Maya or either of her parents receive any written notification that her participation in an extra-curricular activity such as Youth and Government may cause her exclusion from participation in interscholastic sports. No such document was ever supplied to my daughter directly or sent to our home. Additionally, despite several opportunities, neither the head coach nor any of his assistants spoke directly to Maya or to her parents about this issue at any time.
I cannot comment about the alleged failed promises of other parents. Moreover, I am unable to comment about what the Girls Soccer coaches did or did not do over the past three years to address this issue. As for my daughter, she has missed only one match as a result of her participation in Youth and Government.
In the interest of fairness, if this was going to be an additional mandatory requirement of participation, then the coaches and the entire athletic staff should have had the forethought to implement this policy and inform the students before the end of the last school year. Attempting to enforce an entirely new requirement after students like my daughter already made their commitments to activities such as Youth and Government is unreasonable. Doing so deprives students like Maya of the critical notifications they require in planning their future academic careers.
It is my understanding that there are students other than my daughter who have been faced with the same issue. In order to continue their participation in interscholastic sports along with Youth and Government, these students have either been forced to conceal their involvement in the latter or to lie outright. To my knowledge, there also are students that have been permitted by their coaches to continue in Youth and Government while still retaining their team status. In this instance, my daughter is being penalized because she has fully disclosed her participation rather than keeping it concealed. This level of inconsistency in the athletic program and among its coaches also sends the wrong message to students like my daughter who full disclosure and honesty is always the best policy. According to Coach Mair, Youth and Government is perceived by the Athletics Department as being frivolous and incompatible with the goals interscholastic sports at Culver City. Nothing could be further from the truth. Youth and Government is a nationally recognized program that helps students to understand the value of law and the duties of citizenship. If these goals are inconsistent with Culver's athletic program, then perhaps it is time to reexamine its core values.
From the standpoint of a parent, I am troubled by this glaring inconsistency between the sports and athletic programs at Culver High. Students like Maya are being academically rewarded for their participation by teachers who provide them with credit for their involvement with Youth and Government; but at the same time, are being penalized by our sports programs because they are seeking to broaden their education.
Surely, there must be a compromise position that will allow students like Maya to better themselves with programs like Youth and Government without having to sacrifice their athletic careers. I also wonder whether the Culver's sport program would adopt the similar stance if instead of Youth and Government, the outside endeavor involved religious studies.
Both my daughter and I would be happy to meet with you after the Thanksgiving holiday. However, if you are simply going to reiterate your written position, then I do not believe such meeting will be productive. If the purpose of the meeting is to have a full and fair discussion with the goal of determining a fair solution to this problem, then by all means, we welcome it.
Regards,
John Cohn
Mr. Chabola’s email to Mr. Cohn on Nov. 27:
Mr Cohn
I checked with the coaches today, we can meet Tuesday at 3:30 if you are available. Let me know.
Thanks.
Jerry
Mr. Cohn’s response to Mr. Chabola on Nov. 29:
Coach,
Thanks for getting back to me. I would welcome the opportunity to meet. Unfortunately, I am unavailable on Tuesday at the time you have offered. As an alternative, I can meet Thursday between 2:45 and 3:15.
Please bear in mind, however, that if your intention is simply to reiterate your previously stated position, I do not believe that such meeting will be productive. On the other hand, if you are genuinely open to reexamining this ad hoc policy, with a mind towards arriving at a suitable compromise, it is my belief that such meeting may be worthwhile.
John
Mr. Chabola to Mr. Cohn on Dec. 1:
John,
I have been working with the girls soccer coaches and Mr. Drummond regarding this issue. The coaches set out the rules for the program and made it clear as to the commitment they required. As mentioned before, I am in support of the policies set up by the coaches of that program. Regarding this issue you had indicated that if the intent was to reiterate what had been stated then there would be no reason to meet. I don’t see there being a change in the policies set up by this program. Based on that, I see no need for a meeting.
Sincerely,
Jerry
MY RESPONSE TO CHABOLA ON DECEMBER 1:
Coach Chabola,
While I appreciate your need to support your coaches, your continued narrow view of this matter is genuinely surprising. The issue here is greater than whether your coaches allegedly established clear policies regarding commitment. Rather, it a question of how we balance the value of education over athletics.
It always has been my impression that you were an educator first and a coach second. It appears, however, that just the opposite is true. By your stance, it now is clear that you are elevating the importance of winning over the value of learning.
As an institution of learning, Culver High School should be bending over backwards to open opportunities for its students rather than limiting their educational horizons. As an educator, I had hoped that you would embrace this notion. Culver is a public high school where students come to learn, compete and grow. Education in its fullest measure should be paramount, not sports. Student participation in interscholastic sports is merely a part of the equation. Apparently, neither you, your coaches nor Mr. Drummond favor this view of our school.
It now is clear that your offer to meet with Maya and me was an empty gesture. Despite your offer, you never had any intention to do anything other than to unconditionally support the decision of your coaches.
On more than one occasion, you have alluded to a policy adopted by your coaches that was conveyed to all of the potential soccer players including Maya. Given this understanding, please immediately provide me with a copy of this written policy as well as proof of the date and time that this policy was allegedly presented to Maya. Additionally, please supply me with the timeline regarding the genesis and adoption of this policy along with any evidence that such policy was ever formally or informally conveyed to me as Maya's parent.
To say that we are disappointed by your posture and myopic attitude is an understatement. Both Maya and I were prepared to meet with you to find a reasonable collegial resolution to this controversy. It is a shame that you were not open minded enough to explore the possible ways in which the Culver athletic program could accommodate a student like Maya who is striving to get the most from her high school educational experience. I am also troubled by the message of intolerance your outlook sends to other students like my daughter.
Although it may be an unintended consequence, this unfortunate event has soured Maya's otherwise positive prior experience with athletics at Culver City High School. This is particularly tragic for a graduating senior who has given so much to the program. As her parents, we have always given our wholehearted support to Culver City High School sports. We have volunteered at Booster Club events, participated in fund raising, worked the snack bar at football games and enthusiastically cheered for its teams. Now, Culver High has not only lost my daughter as a valuable asset to its sports program, but with the blind enforcement of this wrongheaded policy has also caused us to rethink our continued support as well.
Regards,
John Cohn
Mr. Chabola may be contacted at jerrychabola@yahoo.com
Mr. Cohn may be contacted at john@globewestfinancial.com
