PTSA Conversation Series

Third Installment: Topic: WCHS Athletics Department

Question 1:  How are team captains selected?

Answer:  Captain selection varies from team to team with most teams permitting the athletes to make the determination of who will be a captain for their team. Athletic Director Smith does not believe there should be universal standards for how captains are chosen and what their qualifications are. Coaches and athletes are fully capable of making the correct selections of captains for their teams and does not need guidelines put into place dictating how they do this. Teams are all different and look for different things. Therefore, setting a single standard will not meet all of our team needs.

Question 2:  Are one-on-one text messages with a student a permitted form of communication between a coach and a player?

Answer:  Coaches are always encouraged and reminded to do the following:

• Create a group chat for the team. Online services such as Remind and Band have been successful for parents, players, and coaches.
• Use MCPS email when possible. Do not email student athletes on their personal emails.
• If text messaging, remember to do the following:
  • Coaches are reminded that MCPS states the following regarding texting with students.  “Do not have one-on-one interactions with MCPS students through social media, email, text messages, messaging apps or other electronic communication methods about subjects not directly related to instruction or your MCPS work responsibilities.” So, coaches are reminded that if they are using these methods to communicate with student athletes, they should keep it sport related.
  • Do not delve into personal matters unless you have concerns of the students mental/physical health. If you do have those concerns, include the parent/guardian in these conversations.
  • Include parents in text messages as often as possible.
• Use MCPS Best Practices for Employees when in doubt.

Text messaging is not prohibited by MCPS, but we all discourage it unless necessary. With athletics there are times when a text message is an important form of communication with a student athlete.

Improvements:

• Remind coaches of what was stated above.
• Continue to encourage the use services such as Remind as a best practice.
• Create a parent permission form of some type allowing coaches to communicate with their child through text messaging when necessary.  

Please allow our coaches at least 24 hours to respond to any contact from a parent as they have outside obligations and families that they are obligated to as well.

Question 3:  Why were communications regarding the school’s pickleball offering last Fall so poor?

Answer:  This was a first time EVER that Pickleball was offered as a sport in MCPS. There were bumps along the way as we were getting information from the MCPS Athletics office and trying to establish everything. The expectation is that those issues will not occur in the future.

Question 4:  What do team parents do and how can I become one?

Answer: 

• Role: Roles differ from team to team and these roles are communicated by the coach based upon the team needs. Not all teams need a team parent and others do. Each team is different and as such there are and will be no guidelines put into place by the Athletic Department in regards to the roles of a team parent.
• Chosen: Parents are volunteers and coaches usually ask for someone to fill this role before the start of a season or after the start of a season. The parent in this role may fill it for a year or multiple years. Again, this differs from team to team.
• Expectations: Coaches share what they expect of the team parent when that parent is chosen or when they are looking for a parent volunteer.