CHARLOTTE — The parent of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student is upset, saying her daughter’s middle school volleyball team didn’t have their own uniforms the entire season and there was a lack of transportation.
The mother, who asked Channel 9 not to be identified, said her daughter plays for the Ridge Road Middle School volleyball team in north Charlotte.
The mother said, throughout this past season, which just ended, bus transportation was provided for the students to the team’s away games, but not back to the school after the game.
“I know for one student, in particular, she had transportation problems, so we assisted with half for about half the season,” the mother said.
She also said she knows of other middle schools that do provide transportation both ways. Students were charged a $75 athletic participation fee, which they were told would go toward referees and transportation.
Parents were also told the girls would get volleyball uniforms, which never came, according to the player’s mother.
Instead of new uniforms, Channel 9 learned the players had to wear old soccer jerseys, which were later burned in a dryer.
“Last week, we were told the ones they were wearing, the old soccer jerseys, were burned in a dryer,” the mother said. “So it just doesn’t seem like the funds are going to the team.”
Channel 9′s Gina Esposito learned from CMS that the district does not provide funds for middle school sports. The district did say it takes the fees collected at all 46 middle schools and uses that money to pay coaches’ salaries, officials, bus drivers, police, the reconditioning of helmets, equipment and uniforms.
But this parent wants transparency and visible changes next season.
“If you’re pulling money from different areas of funds that the school is receiving to pay for something else, then just say that,” the parent said. “You need help, it’s not a big deal, that’s fine. We understand that. But giving someone the runaround makes people feel like they are taken advantage of and lied to.”
Channel 9 spoke with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which said decisions about middle school sports are made at the “local” level.
CMS sent the following information to Channel 9 Friday afternoon:
“The expectation for transportation for the 2022 Ridge Road MS Volleyball team was for an activity bus to take our team to away opponents’ schools and for Ridge Road parents to pick up their student athletes from our away opponents school sites after each away game. These expectations were set at the beginning of our season,” said Jerrad Owens, athletic director/ health/ physical education at Ridge Road Middle School. “If a parent ever has any concerns about transportation pertaining to athletics, please contact your child’s coach as well as your child’s principal. CMS is committed to ensuring equity for every student.”
(WATCH BELOW: Parents, CMS board concerned about proposed changes to magnet schools program)
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