Richmond parents are speaking out, accusing the West Contra Costa School District of keeping local kids from utilizing a newly-renovated athletic field.
They’re also accusing the district of giving a Berkeley-based soccer club sole access to the remodeled field of Kennedy High School while Richmond children are left to practice on fields filled with potholes.
While the youth football league has been training and mentoring Richmond children for five decades, parents and coaches claim they’re getting treated unfairly.
While the West Contra Costa School district recently remodeled Kennedy High’s athletic field with bond measure funds, the team says the district has given a Berkeley soccer league exclusive access — forcing the Steelers to practice at another field that’s dirty and unsafe.
“There are potholes, they don’t take care of the grass,” said parent Tiffany Guiton. “So there’s a lot of poop, a lot of dry grass.”
She said that not only is the DeJean Middle School field full of goose poop and potholes, there aren’t any lights.
The team has purchased some stand lights but say it’s not enough.
“Parents pull their cars up, put their headlights on. They try to do their best to give the field some light but it’s still not doing it. You can barely see the kids,” Guiton said.
The president of the Richmond United Youth soccer club said young soccer players have been shut out of Kennedy High too.
“After the remodel we were really excited to get access to it, and for some reason the district hasn’t allowed us,” said Samantha Torres.
Now they are left to hold practice at a city park that’s also not the cleanest or the safest. In fact there’s currently a big hole on the field.
“We’re all fighting for scraps. Now Kennedy High School is given exclusively to the Berkeley based club,” said Torres.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the school district and in a statement, they said, “WCCUSD is committed to providing a safe environment for all youth activities … sites were offered based on availability at the time the applications were received.”
The school district added that some kids in the Albany Berkeley Club are Contra Costa County residents.
Source: NBC Bay Area
Be First to Comment