Cliffside Park Policy Bars Employees From Coaching at Rival Schools

Cliffside Park approved Policy 4231 this past April. It stops district workers from taking athletic coaching jobs at competing school districts when squads face off in the same league. Starting in July, the rule covers both paid positions and volunteer roles.

The board of education claims this protects program quality. It guards sensitive information and prevents conflicts of interest. Workers must stay committed to district objectives. Breaking this policy could lead to consequences. Those range from warnings to losing your job.

Senator Benjie E. Wimberly spoke about his concerns. He believes the New Jersey Education Association should challenge this. Wimberly offered to bring the legislature into this fight if necessary.

“I think it becomes more of a union issue more so than a legislative one,” Wimberly said. “If I’m them, I would go through my union and get legal representation. If they asked it to become a legislative matter, believe me I would definitely lead the charge.”

Lindsey Rego coaches track and represents the union. She read a statement during the April board meeting. She asked officials to rethink their decision. Superintendent Mark Rindfuss didn’t return messages asking for comment.

Steve Jano ran the boys basketball program from 2018 through 2023. The district removed him from that role. He still coaches freshman soccer. He helps with baseball too. Jano also assists the basketball squad at Fort Lee, which competes in the same Big North Conference division.

“It financially impacts myself, my wife, and our 1-year-old child,” Jano said at the board meeting in March. “For those reasons, I would greatly appreciate reconsidering this policy.”

Jano graduated in 2004 and played three sports back then. He started coaching in 2009 when he became a teacher. He told NJ.com his motivation is simple — he loves sports and wants to coach.

Wimberly criticized blocking Jano from working at another school. “There is a major shortage of quality coaches, and here you’re talking about one instance where the coach got fired and now they want to keep him from working somewhere else,” said Wimberly, a former football coach at Hackensack and Paterson Catholic. “How can you penalize somebody like that?”

Jim Fucci directed the boys soccer program for 14 seasons. He won two Group 2 state titles. His teams claimed five sectional championships before he stepped down in 2013. Now he volunteers as an assistant baseball coach at Ridgefield Park, where his son JD plays. JD is a sophomore.

When it was pointed out that Fucci was a volunteer coaching his kid, Wimberly said that tells you the policy needs to be retracted.

The post Cliffside Park Policy Bars Employees From Coaching at Rival Schools appeared first on WMTR AM.