By Kathryn Reed

Mark Salmon is back as the coach of the South Tahoe High School girls’ soccer team.

“The district’s coach contracts are renewed each year unless a coach resigns or is dismissed,” Shannon Chandler, secretary with Lake Tahoe Unified School District, told Lake Tahoe News.

Mark Salmon

Salmon has neither resigned nor been dismissed.

Parents and players last school year began filing complaints with the district office regarding Salmon. To this day not everyone believes the allegations were fully vetted.

The school board on July 10 had a special meeting at which some of the parents who are concerned about Salmon being allowed to continue to coach spoke up.

This email from Bob Grant, who is the district’s complaint officer, was sent to the parents of at least one player: “After your presentations at the board meeting last night, the board discussed the girl’s (stet) soccer program and specifically Mr. Salmon’s coaching role at South Tahoe High School. The board voted to allow Mr. Salmon to continue coaching and instituted additional corrective measures to the items in my resolution letter to you hopefully mitigating issues brought by yourselves and other complainants. LTUSD is also instituting measures to monitor and support all coaches, athletes, administrators, and support staff so that we are more immediately responsive to concerns and problems.  We hope that [your daughter] feels that she can be a part of the team next year.”

Board President Barbara Bannar deferred comment to the district office, even though the board took action in closed session. It is the board that hires and fires coaches and sets all district policy.