Ohio school district requiring all coaches to be certified

Strasburg-Franklin Local School District in Ohio has announced that all coaches in grades seven through 12 must be nationally certified beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

The district becomes the state’s first to require national certification of its coaches. All coaches, paid and volunteer, must complete the National Federation of State High School Associations’ accredited interscholastic coach certification. The requirement was approved by the school board in June, as was funding for all expenses related to the additional training.

“We are building a culture of learning within our school district that truly is reflected in all aspects of student engagement”, stated Strasburg-Franklin Local Schools Superintendent Cynthia Brown.  “We perceive all of our athletic personnel as ‘teacher-coaches’ inasmuch as they are an extension of our educational mission beyond the academic classroom.  Our expectations of coaches are really no less than what we aspire to during the regular school day.”

Strasburg-Franklin has just 256 students in grades seven through 12, but 62 percent of students participate in athletics.

“Our Strasburg coaches realize the huge responsibility and impact they have with our students and they strive to constantly improve,” said Athletic Administrator Gary Spinell. “With the ever-changing landscape of sports, our coaches need to be on the cutting edge of best practices. Coaches are expected to improve individual and team performance, on and off the athletic field of play. By becoming certified, our coaches are assisting our students to have the best opportunities for success in school and in the future.”

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