Interim Superintendent: No Running in the Halls

It may be a new superintendent, but his position on members of the Manchester High School indoor track team practicing in the school’s hallways remains the same – he doesn’t want them doing it.

When the Board of Education to serve as interim superintendent in October to replace the departing Kathleen Ouellette, it asked him to provide updates to the board on a number of pending issues, including the status of the indoor track team at Manchester High.

Ouellette recommended to the school board last December that in the high school’s hallways due to issues raised by the school’s insurance provider and an accident involving an indoor track athlete at East Lyme High School several years ago that resulted in a $325,000 settlement paid to the victim’s family.

But several members of the board indicated in recent months that they wanted to revisit the policy for the new season, which just recently got underway.

Kisiel did so Monday evening, but acknowledged that his recommendation, which was basically to continue to uphold Ouellette’s initial suggestion, would likely not be well received in certain circles.

“I’m sure if I came this evening and recommended to you that the students should run indoors, I’m sure I’d be a very popular individual in town,” he said.

Kisiel said that, in addition to the potential danger posed to student-athletes, if the school board were to reverse its decision now, it could also open the door to potential civil liability for members of the board in the case of a serious accident, as a reversal could be construed as “deliberate indifference.”

Sine last December, the indoor track team has had to board a bus to the in Tolland several days a week for its practices, while training in the high school’s weight room, indoor gyms, pool, and sometimes even outdoors, on other days.

Kisiel said he intended his recommendation to satisfy the issue .

“In my mind, this is a long term recommendation until other facilities are available,” he told the school board.