Prep sports: Asking questions

By Ed Piper

I'm a retired teacher who has taught in both public and private school, so I know the challenge educators have in maintaining a safe environment for their students. I don't make light of that. (I taught 20 years in juvenile court schools, so I really know the need for safety.)

Having occurred several weeks ago, I think it is okay to relate the following story, which was pretty humorous.

I arrived at the entrance to the Bishop's School parking lot one weekday afternoon. I had texted Joel Allen, the head football coach and Athletic Director, earlier in the day: "Can I come over and ask you some questions?" I was merely looking to get some information on the Knights football team for articles on my blog and/or in the La Jolla Village News.

At the guard's booth at the entrance, the gentleman questioned me and I told him who I was and that I was a sports reporter who had gone to the school campus many times in the last several years.

After I pulled into the covered parking lot and pulled into a space, an employee came running across the lot from the security office: "Hello, sir, can I get your I.D.?" I figured all of this was due to the many unfortunate and tragic incidents we have had on school campuses in past years, including some recently.

I explained who I was, that I had an appointment to meet Coach Allen. "You're hear to ask some questions," he said.

Apparently, what had happened was, when I texted Allen to say "Can I ask you some questions?", it had been relayed to employees that someone was coming to campus to "ask questions".

After I got some of the same, attentive--even anxious--queries in the Athletics Office, it came out that they thought an investigator--"not really a detective"--wanted to come and find things out.

Allen was not in his office, as he has a million responsibilities and he was taking care of those as he moved about campus in the early afternoon. We soon hooked up, and I conducted a short interview. He told me some pithy and concise principles of his football philosophy, which I used in a story.

Everyone probably took a collective breath after they realized it was only a sports reporter, and one who had been on campus a zillion times, who had come to the school.

I do not underestimate the responsibilities that administrators and other educators have in trying to take care of and protect their students. It is no easy task. No one wants something unfortunate to happen. I appreciate the conscientiousness of the employees I interact with at Bishop's, and every other school I have contact with.

On my next campus visit weeks later, the contrast was apparent. The guard at the front was not in heightened vigilance mode, instead easy-going (though professional and conscientious). The security office man did not come running from his post asking for I.D. And certainly, in the Athletics Office, everything was back to normal.

No one who was going to "ask questions", who might be something like a detective or investigator.

We can all have a good laugh now.