Fill-in cross-country coaches thwarted by school policies
With teachers opting out of running programs, liability hinders volunteers
Parents are running into roadblocks as they try to fill in for teachers who have stopped coaching cross-country teams.
At John Ross Robertson Public School in north Toronto, parents were told Wednesday they could no longer run the morning cross-country team practice themselves because they don’t have a permit or liability insurance, despite being on school property.
At Earl Haig Junior Public School in Toronto’s east end, parents started a morning running club this week on school grounds after cross-country was cancelled, but each parent must stay and be responsible for watching their child do the 45 minutes of laps.
At Kew Beach Junior Public School in the Beach, parents have started a small ad-hoc cross-country group that runs three mornings a week in nearby Pantry Park and on the boardwalk — but each parent oversees no more than a small number of children and they are careful not to run near traffic.
“Unfortunately, in order to use the school grounds for our cross-country practice, the parent community would need to get their own permit and liability insurance to use the TDSB grounds,” said an email Wednesday to families in the John Ross Robertson parent association’s electronic newsletter, citing what it was told by school administration.
“We encourage you to continue running with your children off the premises, and families can form their own groups and continue running.”
Parents had chosen to keep the practices at school because they were worried about the liability of taking the kids through the neighbourhood.
But a board spokesperson said it doesn’t matter whether students are on or off school property — if they’re doing an activity related to school, the school is responsible for the safe supervision of children and that responsibility can’t be handed off to parents or volunteers.
“Unless one of the staff members is supervising, parents are not covered by our insurance,” noted Ryan Bird. Despite sweeping cancellations of extracurricular activities by Ontario teachers angry about the government’s new law that curbs their right to strike and freezes their wages for two years, Bird said the Toronto District School Board’s annual fall track meets are still planned, “but the dates or location may need to be adjusted.” John Ross Robertson mother Andrea Mandel-Campbell said it’s not surprising parents would try to run a team, “because this is a community that’s very involved and that cares about extracurricular.” Marion Zych signed up her Grade 5 daughter for the new parent-run cross-country practice at Earl Haig. The initiative will start next Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:10 a.m. on school property — with the principal’s permission — but each parent must stay until the run ends at 8:55 a.m. to supervise their own child, and it’s unlikely the group can attend a track meet if teachers don’t take them.
“We’re calling it the running club — not cross-country — so we’re not replicating what the teachers do, but we’re keeping them training so they’ll be ready for the meet if teachers return to extracurriculars in time,” Zych said.
“My argument is not with either side in this dispute, but I think what’s happening is unfair for my daughter, who was so excited to be on the school cross-country team.”