For teachers in the trenches, we all know that the DOE proposes policies and programs that has a negative impact on schools. Be it tight school budgets (86% funded) while the City has a 6 billion dollar surplus and more money is being used by the bloated DOE Central Bureaucracy at the expense of the schools and their students. Now we have another example how a top DOE official ignored pleas from two Jewish coaches and refused to reschedule games slated for the eve of the Jewish high holy day of Yum Kippur.
The DOE official is Brenda Morgan, sports coordinator of the PSAL told both coaches that they either get a qualified replacement or forfeit the game. Theentire storycan be found in today's New York Post. Apparently, the PSAL has showed little sympathy for students and coaches like in 2011 when the PSAL forced sixteen girls volleyball teams to forfeit their season opener and six the first two games because they were unable to send the PSAL a final roster one week before the season began. Who was in charge you ask? Why it was the very same Brenda Morgan who penalized the students since the previous commissioner allowed the schools to submit a completed roster as late as the day of the season opener because it was difficult for the schools to allocate the necessary gym time before schools officially opened to make the girls eligible for league play.
Apparently Brenda Morgan is more interested in upholding the rules and cares little about the hardship to coaches and their players. As a decade long coach I was fortunate enough to have a commissioner who would work with the coaches and a forfeit was a rare occurrence, usually because of a lack of eligible players. My Commissioner was more interested in making sure the games get played and if that meant bending the rules, so be it. Unfortunately, the Brenda Morgan's of the world at the PSAL are sticklers for the rules and if it causes a forfeit and hurts the players? Well, that's just too bad.
The good news is that the bad publicity and the article in the New York Post about her made Brenda Morgan reconsider her terrible decision and has reluctantly agreed to postpone (reschedule?) the games. Maybe Ms. Morgan should be reminded that it's children first...Always.