New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
UNCERTIFIED
Conn. requires high school coaches to be certified. Over 100 locally weren’t.
More than 100 high school coaches employed between 2018 and 2020 at Fairfield and New Haven county public schools were not certified to coach, either for the entire period or for part of it, a CT Insider investigation has found.
State law requires high school sports coaches to be certified, which can be accomplished by taking a 45-hour course that includes a concussion education component. They must also be certified in First
Aid and CPR. Certified teachers who would like to coach as well are not required to take the 45-hour class, but must take the concussion course and be certified in First Aid and CPR.
“It is the responsibility of the coach and their employing district to maintain their certification,” said Kaylan Ricciardi, of the Connecticut State Department of Education. “It is at the discretion of the district to ensure they are in compliance.”
Those efforts can vary greatly by district, however. In some, the responsibility to get certified falls to each individual coach; in others, it’s up to human resources or athletic directors to keep track.
And as far as oversight by the state to ensure the rules are being followed at the local level — there is little.
The state education department’s Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification Department — which handles the certification paperwork for both educators and coaches — does not notify schools when a coach’s permit has
“It is the responsibility of the coach and their employing district to maintain their certification.”
— Kaylan Ricciardi, Connecticut State Department of Education
“The biggest issue we have as athletic directors is the timeliness of everything.”
— Mark Berkowitz Weston Athletic Director
“It’s a great course, it’s not about X’s and O’s at all. It stresses what’s the best way to teach kids.”
— John Niski Shelton Athletic Director
“It definitely is a big challenge trying to make sure coaches take ownership of it. It’s important to stay up on it and not get behind in the process. It takes a team effort to get it done.”
— Matt Memoli Newtown Athletic Director
“The certification process with the state is extremely slow. You can wait for months to have someone approved.”
— Marty Lisevick Staples Athletic Director
“Coaches know they need to follow-up on and maintain their certification, which is so important.”
— Chip Salvestrini Danbury Athletic Director
“Coaches are not allowed to coach here if their certifications are expired and their certification paperwork has not been sent in.”
— Lori Conelly North Branford Athletic Director
expired nor issue fines or repercussions to districts that employ uncertified coaches, the investigation discovered. Though a public database is available online to check the certification status of coaches.
“In some cases, the situation may be sent to the Office of Professional Practices for an investigation, depending on the severity,” Ricciardi said. “The bureau tries to keep situations such as this at the local level, so they address any and all concerns.”
CT Insider compared the state’s database of certified coaches with rosters provided by school districts or their websites, then verified those names with individual athletic directors. The total number of uncertified coaches — currently tallied at 112 — could be higher since some districts did not respond to requests for confirmation.
Westport and Guilford tied for the district with the highest combined number of uncertified coaches and coaches with lapsed permits, with 18 each.
Sued for negligence
Issues surrounding certification have led to a lawsuit against the Weston Board of Education, after a local family claimed their son was injured during a sports practice allegedly overseen by an uncertified coach.
At a practice for the freshman boys basketball team, one teammate punched another one in the mouth and caused physical and emotional harm on Dec. 10, 2018, according to the lawsuit filed last year.
The person employed to coach the team was the only coach present at the practice, the suit states.
According to court documents, the BOE admitted that, at the time of the practice, the individual was not certified to coach but had filed an application with the state in November. Two days after the alleged incident, he was granted a one-year temporary emergency coaching permit, according to online state records.
The lawsuit claims the Weston Board of Education was negligent and violated its duty to employ a certified coach for its student athletes, ultimately leading to the student being harmed. Superintendent of Schools William McKersie declined to comment last year due to the pending litigation.
The school district argued the lack of a coaching permit did not directly cause the student’s injuries, “owing to the sudden and unexpected nature of the incident.”
The family, however, said a proper certification and first aid/concussion training would have helped the coach “understand how injuries happened in the first place and how he could prevent them from happening among his players.”
The coach in question stepped down in December 2018, according to Weston High Athletic Director Mark Berkowitz, though it is unclear whether that decision was related to the punching incident. His replacement for the remainder of the season until March also never held a coaching permit or certification, according to Berkowitz.
While coaches listed as uncertified might raise red flags at face value, Berkowitz said there could be many factors as to why — proper paperwork is typically already filed with the state but remains pending, sometimes up to eight weeks in his experience.
“The biggest issue we have as athletic directors is the timeliness of everything,” he said, noting the state and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference have been getting better at improving the application process in recent years. A new feature is being able to email permit applications or renew them online, he said.
Other times, there might be issues with the renewal process itself or coaches don’t reapply in time, resulting in expired permits.
“It’s never a good idea to let your permit lapse,” Berkowitz said.
In the replacement freshman basketball coach’s case, Berkowitz said, the permit was applied for and received by the state before the person started working with the high school.
“But we found out through our own investigation that there was an issue with the issuing of his permit,” he said. “Unfortunately, the state did not notify us of this issue until we found it out on our own.”
The permit was never revisited with the replacement coach since he did not return the following year, Berkowitz said.
Weston school district policy states uncertified coaches are allowed to coach student-athletes if accompanied by another certified coach, he explained.
“Once we have proof that the state has received the application, they are able to coach as long as they are not alone,” Berkowitz said, but policies can differ by district.
Due to pending litigation, Berkowitz said he could not comment on whether the freshman basketball coach was supervised during the 2018 incident. The case is still pending.
Getting certified
The Connecticut Coaching Education Program’s website, which is an alliance of the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors and the Connecticut High School
Coaches Association, states that coaching permits are required for all coaches who want to instruct athletes in grades K-12 in state public schools, including volunteer coaches, dance advisers and intramural instructors.
To become a certified coach in the state, individuals must either hold a five-year renewable coaching permit, or a temporary, one-year emergency coaching permit. If an individual is not a certified teacher and is interested in coaching, they must take a 45-hour course offered by the state, which emphasizes the medical, legal, safety and principles and practices of coaching adolescents.
Prospective coaches have been presented with two coaching certification course options — an in-person 45-hour course delivered in a face-to-face setting over a six-day span and a blended 45-hour course, with the majority of it being delivered online.
In-person coaching certification courses, which cost $375, have been held at the CIAC’s home-base in Cheshire, or various satellite locations throughout the year.
The number of in-person offerings for the course has been reduced since the formation of the online version (a cost of $475), which has primarily been used for individuals to get certified or renew their certification during the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s a great course, it’s not about X’s and O’s at all,” Shelton athletic director John Niski said. “It stresses what’s the best way to teach kids. Becoming certified keeps a lot of people who want to come in and coach their kid for a year or two out. It makes it difficult for them to do that, because they must make a commitment and take the 45-hour class.”
Those whose coaching permits expire between March 15, 2020, and Dec. 21, 2020, have been given a one-year extension, according to Fred Balsamo, the president of the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors, who assists coaches with certification. The extension was granted due to a backlog of applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification of the Department of Education is responsible for reviewing and processing the completed permit applications and documentation. Five-year coaching permits are then mailed to the applicant, while emergency coaching permits are mailed directly to the district.
The standard processing time for a coach’s application is six to eight weeks, according to the CSDE.
“The process, while somewhat cumbersome, is worthwhile,” Niski said. “As long as athletic directors understand what is needed and understand what the timeline is and work with the problem, because it takes time. A lot of people don’t realize how long it takes. Even receiving an emergency temporary permit takes four weeks. Making sure coaches are certified is one of the biggest pieces to an athletic administrators’ job.”
Should a person want to begin coaching but is unable to fit the 45-hour course into their schedule, they can apply for a temporary coaching permit, which is valid for one year. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, be certified in First Aid and CPR and have a high school diploma.
During that one-year span, they must take the required 45-hour coaching certification course in order to continue coaching. Balsamo noted that temporary emergency coaching permits have also been extended for a second year, due to COVID-19.
The waiting game
The coronavirus has played a role in the certification process, as coaches have not been able to attend in-person certification courses since the spring, though online certification courses are offered.
Athletic directors pointed to several factors as reasons for certain coaches showing up as uncertified in the Connecticut Educator website. One of which is the length of time it takes for coaching certification applications to be approved and processed once the coaches take the required courses and send their paperwork to the state Department of Education.
Coaches must also stay vigilant about when their certification has expired, or is close to expiring.
Ricciardi noted permits can be issued sooner than six to eight weeks or be delayed, depending on the application and when all requested materials are received. She also mentioned that each application goes through a standard background check process through the CBC and DCF, which may take up to four weeks to clear. Permits cannot be issued until all background checks have cleared.
“In general, the bureau’s certification/ permit/authorization processing time has not been impacted by working remotely due to COVID,” Ricciardi said.
Still, some athletic directors noted the certification process takes too long.
“The certification process with the state is extremely slow,” Staples athletic director Marty Lisevick said. “You can wait for months to have someone approved.”
Data shows that Westport schools had 18 coaches whose coaching permits expired at one point. Eight of these currently have applications or recertifications pending with the state, six no longer coach at Staples and three have have been recertified, two with temporary permits. Lisevick stated Staples records show one coach’s certification is valid through March, 2022, however that coaches name does not appear on the state database.
“If a certification has lapsed, we remind the coach,” Lisevick said. “If the coach is an assistant, we also remind the varsity coach. I have had to sit people out until they provide paperwork.”
Bridgeport Central athletic director Dan Coleman said, “It’s always been time-consuming for applicants. ... It’d be nice if everything went through, if they sent an email to the AD and HR saying, ‘this person is cleared.’”
Erik Patchkofsky, the athletic director for New Haven public schools, explained that while the certification process is cumbersome, recent online classes and local classes taught in the spring in New Haven have helped streamline the process.
In New Haven schools, data showed the district had three uncertified coaches and five coaches whose certification expired, four of whom have permits pending with the state.
Keeping track
With little to no oversight from the state, it falls to local schools to keep track of their coaches’ permits with methods that can differ greatly by district.
“Our athletic department works with the school’s human resources department to review documents, background checks and coaching permits,” said Darien athletic director Chris Manfredonia, whose coaching staff is fully certified. “We have a good system down now between the two departments, which is important.”
Shelton athletic director John Niski also works closely with the schools’ human resources department.
“Coaching certification is critical to the success of an athletic program,” Niski said. “We want to make sure we have people working with our students who know what they are talking about and that they are committed to our program and the process.”
Shelton High School had no uncertified coaches or lapsed permits between 2018 and 2020, according to the investigation.
“We check certifications to make sure they get renewed in a timely fashion,” he said. “We will not hire a coach unless they have a high school coaching certification.”
Meanwhile, Danbury athletic director Chip Salvestrini stressed that coaches should be aware of their certification status.
“It is the coaches’ responsibility,” Salvestrini said. “As teachers in the district, they are responsible to maintain their coaching permit. Our secretary constantly reviews it, about 10 to 15 times a year. If a coach’s permit is close to expiring, we let them know.”
Each year that a coach is certified, they must attend a three-hour mandatory coaching class, which serves as a refresher course.
“Coaches know they need to follow-up on and maintain their certification, which is so important,” Salvestrini said. “We always support them to come in and maintain their certification.”
Danbury had one coach with a lapsed permit, according to the data.
Masuk athletic director John DeGennaro said making sure coaches are up-to-date with their permit is the same process as teachers in the school district.
“Whether it’s a coach or a teacher, it’s on them to go through the process,” DeGennaro said. “We follow up prior to the season. It’s incumbent on the coaches to do it, but we do everything possible to get them certified — coaching modules, CPR, making sure it’s sent. We help them through the process.”
Masuk High School in Monroe had two coaches with lapsed permits. One gets a renewal extension from the state due to COVID-19. The other no longer works for the school, but it is unclear when they stopped coaching.
At North Branford High School — which had one coach with a permit that lapsed during the pandemic — athletic director Lori Connelly said she checks coaching certifications two to three months before each season begins to make sure their requirements are in place.
“Coaches are not allowed to coach here if their certifications are expired and their certification paperwork has not been sent in,” said Conelly, whose coaching staff is fully certified. “I have not yet had to experience what would happen if a coach refused to do their paperwork, but I do know they would not be allowed on the field to coach.”
Richard Cerone, Westhill High School’s athletic director, believes there should be a mechanism for volunteers to work under the permit of the head coach or athletic director, rather than spend a few hundred dollars to coach for no pay.
“If the state just required volunteers to take the concussion module and have a valid First Aid and CPR certification, they should be good to go,” said Cerone, whose Westhill coaches are all certified. “All contracted coaches would need the full certification.”
Newtown athletic director Matt Memoli knows keeping track of each of his coaches’ certification status is imperative.
“As an athletic director, one of my biggest jobs is working with human resources to make sure coaches are certified,” said Memoli, whose coaching staff is all certified. “Myself, my assistant and human resources, each season, we try to stay a season ahead. It definitely is a big challenge trying to make sure coaches take ownership of it. It’s important to stay up on it and not get behind in the process. It takes a team effort to get it done.”