Parents and boosters press Greenville County Schools board to fix JL Mann athletic fields

More than a dozen parents, booster-club members and students pressed the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees on March 26 to fix chronic drainage and safety problems at JL Mann High School's athletic complex and to increase district funding for athletics.

Daryl Darby, a parent of two JL Mann athletes, told trustees that the school's soccer pitch "is currently 53 yards" wide, below South Carolina's recommended 65 yards and under the 55-yard minimum, and said the undersized surface gives visiting teams an advantage. "It's pretty common we're walking in with other fans and you get comments, you know, wow ... I didn't expect this," he said.

Why it matters: dozens of speakers said the fields are a safety and equity issue for students who play multiple seasons on worn surfaces and for families who must travel when games are canceled. Booster and parent speakers said the district's planned fixes would not address the root stormwater problems and urged trustees to deliver the promised replacement practice fields before construction of the adjacent elementary school is completed.

Booster-club leaders offered specific requests. Erin Meese, speaking for JL Mann boosters, asked the board to appropriate roughly $475,000 each to repair fields at Wade Hampton, Eastside, Blue Ridge, Greenville High and JL Mann; to increase district athletics funding from about 1% of the budget toward the national average of 2'to'2%; and to press local governments for additional revenue. "Our team should not have to collect money from families to pay for gas to get the buses to away lacrosse games," Meese said.

Several speakers described repeated planning meetings and engineer reviews. Brooke Crimmins said parents had met with board members, city and county officials and engineers, and that independent civil engineers engaged by the booster club believe the district's current proposal "is not actually a fix at all and would not improve the conditions on the pitch." David Horner, who lives about 100 yards from the school, described grading and track elevations that he said funnel water into the sidelines; he said locally provided survey data and engineers disagree with the district's proposed location for drop inlets.

Students and safety concerns: JL Mann senior Michael McClellan said he injured his knee on the field last year during non-contact play and that "at least 10 people over the past four years" have had similar non-contact injuries during practice. "It hurts going to that field and looking at it, knowing we have to play there every single day and something in the back of your mind knowing you're liable to get hurt," he said.

District context and promises: several speakers said booster support for a nearby elementary school project was predicated on promises — made at zoning meetings and by earlier trustees — that replacement practice fields would be constructed first and stormwater drainage issues would be solved. Leanne White said those promises had not been fulfilled and described parking and lighting problems during construction that created safety concerns for families.

Board response and next steps: trustees did not take immediate formal action during public comment. Speakers urged the board to clarify timelines, confirm engineering approaches, and prioritize funding in the district's capital plans so repairs do not lag behind construction. "This is not a knee-jerk reaction," Matt Neland, president of the Mann Booster Club, told trustees. "This is for the kids in Greenville County and their coaches. They're all worth the investment."

The board moved on to agenda action items after public comment; trustees later approved the March 2024 Long Range Facilities Plan and related transfers to the building fund (see separate report on board actions).