Treiber: ORCA Committed to Reinstate Aronson as Head Coach of Medfield Boys' Lacrosse

Medfield resident Robert Treiber addressed the high school administration's decision not to renew Bob Aronson's contract to coach the Medfield varsity boys' lacrosse team in 2012 by issuing the following statement as chairman of the Organization to Reinstate Coach Aronson (ORCA).

Treiber spoke on behalf of the Medfield lacrosse community and his message was directed to school committee members, Schools Superintendent Bob Maguire and members of the Medfield Teachers' Association in attendance at Monday's School Committee meeting on behalf of the Medfield lacrosse community. The statement is as follows:

"We understand that we are not on the agenda and that this is not the forum for debate so we will say our piece, thank you for your time, and then leave quietly so I just ask that you hear us out.

I have with me:

• Colin Schriver, representing alumni players
• Conor Roddy, a co-captain representing current players
• John Roddy, representing parents and taxpayers

Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Bob Treiber. I have come to you in the past as an individual, a taxpayer, and a registered voter with a concern about the school administration’s decision not to renew the contract nor even to consider the application of Bob Aronson as head coach of the boys’ varsity lacrosse team.

While the reasons behind this are unclear, I have taken the time to try to speak with each individual in the school’s chain of command – and each time have received polite conversation and ultimately "can't talk about personnel matters. Thanks for your interest. Have a nice day."

I have come to the school committee – twice before – in hopes that you will be “reasonable” people and will be motivated by the concern of your constituents to get involved. I have even taken the time to put together a packet of information I believe to be the facts in this matter and have asked you to respond or to take some interest.

In the past, I have appeared before you as an individual politely asking that you reconsider reinstating coach Aronson as head coach of the boys’ varsity lacrosse team simply because our children and our community are better served with him involved in our lacrosse program.

Now, I appear before you as the chairman of the Organization to Reinstate Coach Aronson. Today, I come before you representing hundreds of supporters – parents and community members, who like me are taxpayers and registered voters. I represent the alumni, many of whom are former lacrosse athletes who were coached by Aronson – and even current students, who now face the possibility of losing the person they call “coach.”

We are all here tonight to protest your refusal to hear the loud and clear voice of the very people you have sworn to represent. We are here because we would like you to work with the administration within the limits of the law to achieve with respect to the children a more optimal solution which includes coach Aronson in our lacrosse program.

As a responsible community member and leader of this group, I met last week with Superintendent Maguire privately and tried, but failed, to reach a compromise that would allow coach Aronson to return.

Now, I believe that this matter has escalated from trying to reinstate a respected coach to fighting the inability or stubborn unwillingness of a committee and an administration to reconsider one of its decisions simply because of pride.

Our concern here has always been about the welfare of our children and our community – and those who coach them. Coach Aronson has always gone the extra step for his players. He is a dedicated, hardworking, and successful lacrosse coach who cares deeply for his players as young men. We have always come before you to see if we can come up with a compromise to bring coach Aronson back on the lacrosse field – one that you as a committee have always refused to address.

As someone said before, no decision is set in stone and there is always room for a compromise – at minimum a discussion. Are you that sure that everyone involved in this decision is 100 percent right – beyond the shadow of a doubt right, death penalty right, irreversibly right?

Do you believe that we people assembled here tonight in protest, the same people who elected you and by law you have sworn to represent, are wrong in requesting that this matter be reopened for discussion? – No chance wrong, zero chance wrong, impossible wrong, never, never, never gonna happen wrong, we protestors are just flat out wrong?

Does an administrator’s or any person's lengthy and successful track record in the past necessarily make that person infallible and unquestionable in the future? Of course not. It did not for coach Aronson. Why should it apply to the school committee or the superintendent?

We as ORCA, parents, community members, taxpayers, registered voters, alumni and students believe the school committee will be doing an entire generation of young men a disservice if they do not reinstate coach Aronson.

In, short, we still believe there is room for a compromise to get coach Aronson back on the sidelines."

Treiber concluded his statement after allowing Schriver, Conor and John Roddy to speak on behalf of the community members they represented.

"You may not believe this but I feel for you. You’ve sworn to represent thousands of tax payers and help on the School Committee but you probably didn’t sign up for all this.

But, I, too, have a constituency to represent with a stated goal of better serving those children with Coach Aronson on the sideline.  I’ve committed to lead this charge for them and they trust me to do so.

Similarly, we elected you. We elected you because you are fair and just people and we trust you to make the right decisions.

But, we all have this law that precludes you from getting involved in personnel matters. However, the law, I suspect, was enacted to promote efficiency and to streamline town government not to keep good people from doing what they thought was right for the betterment of the children and the community.

So, I’m asking you now to get creative AND to work within the limits of the law AND to get involved. Please, step back and ask yourself whether or not all these people here today in protest can be wrong about what is best for our children and our community.

We hope you have heard our protest and our pleas to reopen this matter. We ask that you seek a compromise that will allow coach Aronson back on the lacrosse field and back for the betterment of those kids.

If you don’t, by those same laws, you will leave me no other options but to seek a seat on the school committee and to bring the necessary accountability, creativity, and responsiveness to the public.

I’m pretty sure by now that no one wants me up there with you on the committee. So, please, let’s strive for creativity and compromise. Thank you."

Related Content:

• To read more from Monday's School Committee meeting, .
• To read Schools Superintendent Bob Maguire's statement on this issue, .
• To read more about ORCA,