Youngstown, OH — At Tuesday’s Youngstown School Board meeting, members of the Chaney Middle School football team, along with coaches and parents, voiced their concerns over the cancellation of the football season. The decision followed an incident during the Chaney vs. East Middle School game at Rayen Stadium, which has since sparked significant criticism regarding the district’s handling of the situation.
Parent Samantha Anderson expressed her frustration, highlighting the impact on the students involved. “But their stuff was destroyed — not only phones, bookbags, etc. — and then they’re being taunted,” Anderson stated. “How would you feel if it was your kid getting talked about? I just don’t think that’s fair, and that wasn’t right.”
Another parent, Shay Henderson, argued that only about ten students were involved in the incident, making it unjust to cancel the season for the entire team. She had attempted to reach the school board multiple times to advocate for a conflict resolution between the two schools, emphasizing that taking away the season would not resolve the underlying issues.
Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor acknowledged the need for action, stating, “We need to work together on some conflict resolution, some character education, some training.” He clarified that the cancellation was not intended as punishment but rather as a step toward enhancing discipline and standards within the district.
Batchelor plans to meet with all the coaches involved on Wednesday to address the situation and indicated that this would not be the end of the issue, as he aims to tackle the concerns at their core.
