With an expanding roster of student sports programs, the Wright City School District is seeking to contract an athletic trainer for daily services. The initial cost estimate for the service is about …
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With an expanding roster of student sports programs, the Wright City School District is seeking to contract an athletic trainer for daily services. The initial cost estimate for the service is about $25,000 per year.
The issue was discussed during a Feb. 20 meeting of the Wright City School Board. Athletic Director Bo Evans told the board that the recent additions of sports including soccer, wrestling, dance and others has created a growing need for a trainer.
Along with advising in physical training, athletic trainers provide first aid and rehabilitation whenever a student athlete is injured.
“It’s a lot of stress on the coaches ... to have to be the trainer and coach at the same time,” Evans commented. “It’s a huge relief for them, and it’s a relief for us, to know that we’ve got a trained personnel there at all of our home events.”
Evans said Wright City previously had game coverage through a contracted trainer service, followed by a volunteer trainer, but both those agreements have ended. He requested the school board contract a new company that would provide a trainer on a daily basis for any practices or games at Wright City High School.
Superintendent Dr. David Buck said one athletic trainer service, Athleticare Sports Health Foundation, has already provided information about its services and a $25,000 cost estimate.
The same company currently provides its services to the Warren County R-III School District for $35,000 per year, according to a contract provided by the R-III district.
Buck strongly advocated for the school board to approve the addition of a daily athletic trainer. He recommended seeking bids from multiple companies, although he predicted Athleticare would be the low bidder.
If approved, a trainer would come on board in time for summer training camps this year.
School board member Mary Groeper questioned if contracted athletic trainers are typical in schools the size of Wright City.
Evans, the athletic director, said some schools in Wright City’s athletic conference don’t have a trainer at all, while others have deals with a nearby hospital or doctor’s office to provide services. That isn’t an option the nearest health care or educational facilities are willing to provide here, Evans said.
Looking at slightly larger schools with comparable sports programs, he said almost all of them provide a full-time staff trainer.
Board member Alice Jensen, a nurse by trade, said an athletic trainer is necessary for the safety of students and to protect the district from legal liability.
“I think we need to have somebody. Injuries are just too frequent and too easy to happen,” Jensen commented.
No vote has been taken on the issue. By consensus, board members directed Buck to seek bids from athletic trainer companies. The bids will come for a vote in April or May.
