Report it to as many authorities as you can. Contact the principal, superintendent, the school board, go through the entire school district if you have to. Bring this to their attention that they have people they have entrusted with roles of authority and significant influence over their kids who have not mentally and emotionally matured past the age of 13. Definitely not something you can let slide.
Don’t tell or involve the niece. You are probably correct that this is about your loud sister, not the niece. Talk to the athletic director or principal. Nobody has a right to playing time, don’t even think that. Parents and students do have a right to expect professional behavior from teachers/coaches.
I would probably pull her off that team. There is no,point in playing for a contentious coach, as he will be less interested in seeing her improve and be more interested in just being critical of her performance. It’s not, imo, a relationship that can improve. I would be inclined in getting her into something else that she can enjoy, or, put her in her chosen sport, but outside the school.
Besides, if she’s that bad, from the coach’s POV, he won’t miss her. He was also incredibly stupid to have sent anything less than the most professional of emails because it is now documented.
You got it in one - legitimate concerns or not your sister has made the coach feel like he is under attack. I would say leave it alone and let the kids playing speak for itself - tell her to double her efforts to impress!
I’m not sure your characterization of his email is accurate.
Or may be the coach is the problem. But I have seen many parents write of their children's troubles by trying to blame some one else.
Is the coach named Barry Switzer?
Tell your sister to shut up. You stay out of it and let the coach do his job. If your niece is being treated unfairly, it is a good lesson to learn. Life is not fair and it will never be. For the rest of her life, hundreds if not thousands of situations will be unfair in work, relationships, and friendships.
What does it matter if the coach was blowing off a little steam? It is sue happy, big mouth parents that are making the coach’s job impossible. Comments stating the coach should never left a paper trail inflame my sensibilities. The reason he left the paper trail is because you are thinking of destroying his life since your niece is getting a little less playing time. Every parents is looking for leverage to crush him, his family, destroy his career, and any good will he feels toward the kids he coaches / teaches.
Now multiply your busy body loud mouth sister times 20. When I was young if a teacher sent a note home saying I misbehaved, I was punished. Nowadays, that same note has the parent running to the principle office to punish the teacher. It is impossible to be a good educator in today’s society and we are raising a group of weaklings.
If you want to do your niece a favor. Tell her to do her best and if that is not good enough, it is not good enough. That life is not fair and that there will always be setbacks. To stop asking for a fair shake in life. Life is compromise.
If she wants something, create it. If she fails, pick her butt off the ground and try again. Not to depend on anyone for her well being. Her destiny is hers if she takes charge, if she depends on others to be happy she will never be. To teach her kids to be strong.
Maybe the coach wants more than her ass kissed, if you get my drift.
Parents and HS sports today are an awful combination. I played football back in the day and rarely saw a parent talking to a coach now they show up with lawn chairs to watch practices. IMO once a kid gets to HS they should be fending for themselves. Coaches are like bosses, some are great some suck, some are fair some suck, it’s part of the lesson.
If the coach thought simply asking “How can I improve” was an attack on his or her coaching skills, it appears that what we are dealing with is a typical, dime a dozen public school employee who is unqualified for the job at multiple levels. A half decent coach should understand conceptually that “how can I improve” does not translate to “your coaching skills suck”.
Known coaches who were egotistical snots who deserved getting toilet dunked for the crap they pulled.
Sounds like the list just grew by yet another name.
Expect further inquiries to garner reprisals.
Are you sure the email actually came from the coach?
Some people on this thread are nuts.
Why doesn’t someone actually talk face to face with the coach? No room for ambiguity there. For all you actually know the coach may not have even written the email. I wouldn’t base hard action on something so nebulous as an email.
sounds to me he copied the wrong person.
....meaning sent it to the wrong person.
Why doesn’t your Sister just ask him about it.
Don’t tell the niece and don’t involve yourself.
The only way this deserves to be discussed is if the niece is angling for a college scholarship in this sport and the coach is holding her back from it.
Otherwise, coaches are allowed to make decisions without helicopter family members rushing in everytime something happens their little darling doesn’t like.
If it’s a misunderstanding, it will work itself out. If it’s a matter of being in the right “clique”, winning will expand the clique.
Is the niece good enough to get scholarship offers in this sport? If so, this might be worthy of some conference. Otherwise, I’d drop it and tell the sister not to be such a jealous drama queen.
People fumble the “to” field all the time. I once got an e-mail from my buyer’s agent intended for the selling agent of a property for which I had made an offer and received a counteroffer. He had been showing it to other people, thought he could get a better price. Very unethical, borderline illegal. The turd denied it even after I copied him back on his own errant e-mail.
Your niece was not he player he or she was discussing, imho.