 - After discussing a potential conflict-of-interest policy last month for coaches whose teams include their own children, Lander school officials have decided to address the issue in the district activities handbook instead.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – After discussing a potential conflict-of-interest policy last month for coaches whose teams include their own children, Lander school officials have decided to address the issue in the district activities handbook instead.
“I didn’t feel that policy would be the best way to go about that,” Superintendent Mike Harris said during a Lander School Board meeting on April 21. “If we have a specific issue (with) a coach’s treatment of a particular student … we need to address that in the handbook.”
‘Checks and balances’
The proposed new activities handbook for the 2026-2027 school year, which the Lander School Board considered on first reading this month, includes a “transparency and fairness” section outlining the “checks and balances” that have been established for “coaches who have family members on the team.”
“We are proud to have dedicated coaches who are also parents,” the handbook states. “However, to protect the integrity of the team and the experience of the student-athlete, we follow these guidelines.”
The first guideline, titled “Independent Evaluation,” says the athletic director or an assistant coach will act as a secondary evaluator when a head coach’s child is competing for a varsity roster spot.
The guideline is intended to “ensure roster decisions and playing time are based solely on merit,” the handbook states.
The second guideline sets “Professional Boundaries” for parent coaches.
“During practices and games, the ‘coach-athlete’ relationship takes precedence,” the handbook says. “We ask parents to respect this professional boundary and use the established athletic department channels for any concerns.”
If anyone is concerned that “a conflict of interest is affecting the team dynamic or the fair treatment of the student,” the handbook says they should request a meeting with the head coach – or with the activities director, if the issue “cannot be resolved with the coach.”
Club sports
The transparency and fairness portion of the handbook includes guidelines for coaches who coach private club sports during the off-season, too.
In order to “ensure a level playing field” in those situations, the handbook notes that “playing for a coach’s private club team is never a requirement for making a school team.”
“Whether a student plays for a club team or chooses to spend their summer elsewhere, they will be evaluated for the school season starting with a ‘clean slate,’” the handbook states. “High school roster spots are earned during the official WHSAA-sanctioned season tryouts, regardless of off-season involvement.”