Appointment as a coach
Decisions of the Commissioner of Education, 14,504
Rita Magee was employed by the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District as a certified physical education teacher. Magee applied for a vacant field hockey coaching position in the district. The district selected another individual, Donald Daoust, for the position.
Contending that Daoust “has neither a New York State teaching certificate nor a temporary coaching license,” Magee filed an appeal challenging the district's action with the Commissioner of Education.
Although the Commissioner dismissed Magee's appeal as moot -- the field hockey season had ended before he had an opportunity to consider the matter -- he commented that:
1. A school district may employ an uncertified individual as a coach only when a certified physical education teacher or certified teacher with coaching qualifications and experience is unavailable; and
2. An uncertified individual may not undertake his or her coaching responsibilities until he or she has actually received a temporary license.
The decision specifically noted that “[t]he mere application for that license by the district does not qualify the prospective coach for his or her duties.”