A North Side Chicago Public Schools principal says internal leadership problems, not “racist tendencies,” led to his baseball team forfeiting a game Saturday on the city’s South Side. The explanation came after a series of media reports, which the principal says are largely inaccurate, said that parents feared for their athletes’ safety on the South Side.
“There were other, less salacious, causes for the game’s cancellation,” Principal Tim Devine wrote in an email to the Walter Payton College Preparatory High School community. “The reasons for the cancellation stem from leadership issues within the baseball program.”
Payton’s baseball coach, William Wittleder, told several news outlets on Saturday that a group of parents didn’t allow their sons to travel to Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy because of safety concerns. Wittleder said that he still went to Brooks to apologize to the opposing coach and explain the reasons for the forfeiture. Wittleder didn’t return multiple voice mails and an email seeking comment on Sunday.
Payton is on the Near North Side, between the Gold Coast and Cabrini-Green. Brooks, also a CPS school, is in the Far South Side’s Roseland neighborhood.
Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said Sunday evening that several factors led to the forfeiture, including the fact that Payton athletes were only made aware of the game last Wednesday. Other conflicts included no bus transportation to Brooks, Advanced Placement tests and players who were benched for missing practice for college visits and practice AP tests, Quinn said.
Devine criticized the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC Chicago for their “poor quality of reporting” in his 687-word email to Payton students, faculty and parents. Devine said neither outlet reached out to him for comment.
The story of North Side parents refusing to let their kids play a game on the South Side sparked indignation on Twitter and in the media. Brooks’ baseball coach, Bryan Street, told the Sun-Times he would never agree to another game with Payton.
Devine and Brooks’ principal, D’Andre Weaver, issued a joint statement Sunday that said they had agreed to move past Saturday’s event.
“We look forward to both of our schools meeting on the field again soon,” they added.
This is called the feminization of America.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they can get a dodge ball game going..........wait, that's too violent.How about a chess game w/ rubber pieces only?.....oh well just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThis is not racism it is realism. THe South Side is a very dangerous place. Safety is a real concern. Parents should not be forced to put their children in harms way, That being said Walter Payton is one of the finest public high schools in the country . Students attend there for free. Parents should not be able to have their children take advantage of the CPS system without abiding the same rules that every other CPS school and student follows. The potential danger Walter Payton was trying to avoid for 1 day is faced every single day by 90% of CPS students and teachers. The parents and administrators at Walter Payton should organize for more Police protection or send their children to private schools if they don;t want to follow the rules. To bail at the last minute is elitist and sends the wrong message.
ReplyDeleteFuture Pussies
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is so much of bailing at the last minute as it is of scheduling at the last minute. The real important question to ask to determine who is telling the truth - is this....Have these two teams ever played in Roseland before? If they have played there in the past - then making the charge that Payton team parents are racist - does not hold water. If so then Brooks staff may be a little sensitive. Just kind of sick of the racism card played constantly.
ReplyDeleteIf there were incidents in the past at the school (which we will never know if the media have their way) - then I personally would not send my kid into a potentially dangerous situation. Call me whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason High school sports should end. The public has no idea how silly sports programs are in Chicago Public schools. Here we have two selective high schools that can't manage to schedule and/or arrange for transport. Coaches tell me that sometimes kids show up for a tryout without ever wearing a mitt. Look at the gang banging at bb games and everyone knows that AD's rarely grade check as required.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany secondary schools are not burdened with youth sports at all and public funds are entirely devoted to the academic mission. The FRG enjoys the finest schools in the world in both academic and vocational areas. We have this misguided notion that sports will help adolescents adjust to the real world somehow.
Last, this Devine kid got his job via clout. 19th warders would be proud!
Is he any relation to Dick Devine?
DeleteDick's kid indeed
ReplyDeleteThe guy mishandled this one.
DeleteMurph, you scooped the Tribune editorial board on this issue.
ReplyDeleteA baseball game between Walter Payton College Preparatory High School and Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy was rescheduled for Saturday at Brooks, Chicago Public Schools officials said Monday.
ReplyDeleteThe Payton baseball team had initially forfeited the game, which was originally scheduled for last Saturday, because players failed to show up. The forfeit sparked controversy because Payton baseball coach William Wittleder told several news outlets Saturday that parents hadn't wanted their sons to travel to the Far South Side.
Payton Principal Tim Devine contradicted that account and said the real reason was because of "leadership issues within the baseball program."
CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett met with Wittleder and Devine on Monday afternoon "to hear directly from both of them to hear what happened, and what could be done to prevent it from happening in the future," CPS representative Kelly Quinn said in a statement.
"They also discussed what could be done to start the healing process between both school communities," Quinn said
Why would any responsible parent put his/her child in a needlessly dangerous situation? Roseland is extremely dangerous because damn few "responsible" parents are to be found there. That's the truth, but of course in the rathole that Chicago is rapidly becomning, it must never be uttered.
ReplyDeleteSaint John Fisher went through this awhile back when they did not want to have kids travel to St sabina for games.
ReplyDeleteParents were correct not to then as well.
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20121205/roseland/armed-gang-robbing-teens-outside-high-school
ReplyDeleteSt. John Fisher looked bad when they did that. There were other parishes that fulfilled their obligation and continued playing St. Sabina at that parish's facility.
ReplyDeletecheck out second city cop blog...they state 2 people were robbed right in front of that school yesterday...but its being kepy out of the media...Murph has the link to the side of his page here!!!
ReplyDeleteI never once heard anyone answer the question I posed : Have these two teams ever played in Roseland BEFORE. Sort of important to know. If they played there in the past then they are not prejudiced per se. If they played there in the past and had a bad experience - maybe they have a reason.
ReplyDeleteOff Topic... i am a 19th ward resident who has served 2 tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan where I was wounded not seriously but enough that i sometimes find my foot will give out,my question is how could i get into the Stationary Engineers union and become a Engineer in either the public or private sector, I have asked around and was met with numerous answeres which i found to be all false, If anyone out there could oblige me with this questin we would be ever so thankfull'a 19th ward resident from the 101st and damen area....
ReplyDeleteDisappointed to see our Rep vote yes on a bill to diminish the pensions earned by state employees.
ReplyDeleteto the off topic vet.thanks for your service and your injury son, glad your still here, now, we rtd, from local 399 after 35 years and to be honest you need to know someone to get the job and get into the union, this is a given.do not talk to the shamrock rats as they detest americans and will steer you wrong.unfortunate as it is they took over the union and made it a playhouse for their homiesmy advise would to be to join a Masonic lodge, these ppl seem to be loyal and honest and have clout more then the shamrock rats. at one time the Masons controlled the union but they let the shamrock rats in and it all went south, dont depend on the 19th ward either,they will talk to you but then stab you in the back like you never existed, good luck to you and thank you for your service to our country
ReplyDeleteSHAMROCK RATS.LMFAO......BRILLIANT
ReplyDeleteLiterally the coach forgot to get a schoolbus and said that to cover it up
ReplyDelete