Historically high school students have been discriminated against based on club affiliation or for not being part of a local athletics club. Coaches at the high school are or have been affiliated with local sports clubs for decades. Many of the kids that have been impacted by discrimination are minority or low-income kids. 

To participate in local athletic clubs, a parent must pay from $300 to $450 a month totaling from $3,600 to $5400 a year. Low-income parents cannot afford to pay for these types of club registrations. A low-income family that earns the minimum wage cannot afford to participate in these clubs. Students that cannot participate in these clubs will not stand a chance when they show up to the high school tryouts. The Davis Senior High School has allowed for this structure to be in place therefore allowing only those that have the financial means to participate in high school sports. According to the Play Equity Fund report “Play Equity Report” published in 2024, 63% percent of parents report struggling to afford the costs associated with their children’s sports participation. More than 3-in-5 parents (62%) say that cost played a role in why one or more of their kids stopped playing sports.

Coaches and their club players have strong relationships with each other. Coaches have at times had students over their houses because parents are their friends; therefore, creating a friendship that will not allow coaches to be objective during high school tryouts. It is often heard from parents that they were over at a coach’s home and that their kids asked to be in a particular team at the High school and that it was granted by the coach. Another example that is often heard is “my kid will make the high school team because my other kid plays volleyball with the coach’s kid. We talk to the coach all the time, so my kid will make the high school team.” The high school coaches are going to prefer their friends’ kids over students that are low-income minorities. At times, these high school coaches have also picked their family members to participate in high school teams without any accountability. 

The DJUSD has allowed these coaches to continue to coach at these local clubs and the high school which results in the following:

1. Coaches prefer players from their clubs as these players are paying substantial amounts of money to their clubs.
2. Coaches prefer players whose parents also coach at their clubs because parents are volunteering their time.
3. Coaches cannot separate animosity between clubs in the area which results in players being caught in the middle of conflicts; therefore, impacting them at tryouts or playtime during the season.
4. Players that do not have the means to participate in these clubs will not be considered by high school coaches at all.
5. High school coaches bring in other adults and friends into tryouts that are not registered coaches with the high school.
6. Coaches prefer their friends’ kids over anyone else. For example, some of these high school coaches’ kids play sports with parents whose kids will also be trying out at the high school which leads to parents hanging out all the time. Some parents have stated that their kid is guaranteed a position because they are friends of the coaches.