The Warren Township High School District 121 Board of Education is considering withdrawing its support for the district’s ice hockey club to be fair to students in other extracurricular activities that are not district-sponsored.
Despite not being a sport offered by Warren Township High School, the Warren Blue Line Hockey Association was formed, offering the school’s students an opportunity to play club hockey.
Although the team is not officially organized through the school, it’s district-sanctioned, and awarded some of the benefits given to the school’s formal athletic programs, like being featured in the yearbook and receiving athletic awards.
The district also collects attendance, grade and behavior reports and passes them along to the hockey coaches. Students who participate on the hockey team also get waivers that exempt them from physical education classes.
At a Nov. 18 board meeting, Superintendent Danny Woestman said, “We have students who have participated in things like the equestrian club, or gymnastics, who do ask to be treated in the same way.
“The core difference between our athletic programs and club programs is staffing,” he said. “These are not our staff. They’re not employed by us. They’re employed by the club.”
Some have complained to district officials about the disparity between how the hockey team is treated compared to students in other after-school activities.
“No one is debating how good the hockey program is, and the value that it brings to our students,” board President Tony DeMonte said. “Instead of talking in exclusionary language, is there a way to make these other programs more inclusionary? I hate to see a world where we’re taking away something when kids are participating.”
Woestman said one reason the district doesn’t have a hockey team is due to the costs associated with it, which require unique facilities, insurance and equipment.
“It’s very costly to do some sports, and there might be different levels of liability,” he said. “In the past, the district has probably determined that it would be hard for us, financially, to support a hockey team, and that’s where the community club comes in and fills the gap.”
District officials said they are looking to become less involved in the club sport, while still offering an opportunity for hockey players to receive some sort of school recognition.
“I think what the hockey players, the students and their families are looking for is recognition,” Woestman said. “What’s meaningful to them is that they have a place where they’re recognized. I think we’re doing more than recognizing them, but I think what they’re looking for is a way to be recognized among their peers.”
“It doesn’t have to be not in existence for us to be not as involved,” board member John Anderson said.
