I am writing to express my outrage and disappointment over the recent actions of our school district activities director, Tammi Meissner, and Superintendent Bill Burr. As a parent of a student athlete, I am appalled by the strict enforcement of a fee-payment rule that resulted in two of our top student athletes being denied travel to a Jan. 23-25 basketball tournament in Craig.
This is not the first time this issue has arisen. Just weeks ago, three other student athletes faced the same situation, initially being denied travel due to late payment of the $25 travel fee.
The issue at hand is the activities director’s decision to strictly enforce a deadline for advance payment of the travel fee, which is not explicitly outlined in the school’s activities handbook. She sent an email on Jan. 13 advising parents of the payment deadline but not all student athlete parents received the email.
Despite the handbook’s clear statement that payment must be made “before travel,” the activities director has deemed that payment must be received two days prior to departure. This arbitrary deadline was created without input from parents, coaches or the school board, and has resulted in unfair penalties for our student athletes.
What’s even more disturbing is that our activities director is not only a respected member of our community but also a former athlete and coach of our school teams. It seems counterintuitive that someone who has been such an integral part of our school’s athletic program would take such a hard-line stance.
It’s also important to note that the unpaid fees in question did not result from careless or neglectful parents and athletes. In fact, the director sent a text to the coach at 3:53 p.m. regarding the unpaid fees, and by 4:10 p.m. the affected students were attempting to rectify the situation. However, the director deemed it too late and the students were denied travel.
Furthermore, it’s appalling that the director refused to allow parents to pay the fee after her self-imposed deadline. All parents involved were eager to pay and fix the situation as soon as they realized the fee wasn’t paid. The director’s inflexibility has caused unnecessary harm and stress to our students and families.
As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to see our children being penalized for something that is not their fault. The director’s strict enforcement of this rule is not only unfair but it’s also damaging to our children’s morale and motivation. Our children work hard to excel academically and athletically, and it’s unacceptable that they are being treated this way.
I urge the school administrators to reconsider their approach and prioritize the needs of our students. Our children’s education and success should be the top priority, not enforcing arbitrary rules and deadlines. I also call on the school board to review the activities director’s actions and ensure that our school’s policies are fair, reasonable and in the best interests of our students.
—Sara Gillen
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