Greater Clark ends Norman's contract as Jeffersonville High School's girls' basketball coach
Sep. 13—JEFFERSONVILLE — Greater Clark County Schools has terminated the contract of Cory Norman, the former girls' basketball coach at Jeffersonville High School.
Greater Clark Superintendent Mark Laughner confirmed to the News and Tribune on Wednesday that the school board ended Norman's contract at Tuesday's meeting.
He did not specify the reasons for terminating Norman's employment, saying it is a personnel issue that the district cannot publicly discuss.
Taylor Sykes, previously the varsity girls assistant coach at JHS, is now the school's interim coach for girls' basketball. Laughner said the position for the permanent coach will be posted in the spring.
"Ms. Sykes will certainly [be] looked at as a candidate for the permanent position when the job is posted in the spring," Laughner said.
A JHS student and a parent spoke up during public comments at Tuesday's board meeting with concerns about the staffing situation.
Brittani Carlton, the mother of a basketball player on JHS's girls' basketball team, voiced concerns about the staffing turnover and the administration's approach to the situation at Tuesday's meeting.
"My adolescent and others have been experiencing distress due to the situation regarding their team and coaches and the treatment therein," she said. "Why is it that this team is now faced with a third varsity coach in just five years?"
She said it is difficult for the students when "coach after coach" has "disappeared from their lives."
"Regardless of the reason for these actions, the system has to change in how it's impacting the psyche of these adolescents," Carlton said.
She criticized the way staff in Greater Clark and JHS have handled communication about the situation.
"This team... has been left to worry and wonder about what is happening, and no one has spoken to them about anything," Carlton said. "Instead of the athletic department addressing this team or the coaches, they have all been left to hear the rumors created by others about the person they have grown to trust in the sport that they love, and [they] worry how this team is going to be impacted from this."
A student also spoke about her frustration with the way the situation has been handled. She described her experience with the JHS girls' basketball team amid the recent uncertainty over staffing. She said that there are issues with the culture at Greater Clark and JHS.
Laughner acknowledged the concerns expressed by those who spoke during public comments.
"I want to thank the students and parents that came to the board meeting last night to express their concerns about the girls basketball coaching position and also want them to know that their feedback is appreciated," he said. "I also want them to know that we do not discuss the specifics of a personnel issue in board meetings in order to maintain the privacy rights of our employees."
