CHAMPION — The Board of Education has approved adding flag football as a school sport.

Superintendent John Grabowski said at Monday’s meeting the district decided to offer flag football starting this spring after more than 20 high school girls expressed interest in participating. The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Champion Education Association to provide new supplemental positions for flag football head coach and flag football assistant coach.

The board also approved the job description for the two positions.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association has sanctioned a state championship event in girls flag football beginning in the spring. The growth of girls flag football began in 2021 with the creation of the first Girls High School Flag Football division in Northeast Ohio, led by the Cleveland Browns. There are 80 high schools in Ohio that have a team and that number is expected to continue to grow, Grabowski said.

In other business, the board discussed the proposed 2026-27 school calendar, giving it the first of two readings. The second reading for the calendar will be at the Feb. 23 meeting.

Board member Aaron Abrahamson, who was selected earlier this month to fill a vacant seat, said he was concerned with early release days for students and recommended that some of them be replaced with professional development days for teachers to attend training and meetings, and have time for doing grades at the end of each nine weeks.

He said the Oct.16 early release day should instead be a teacher work day to end the first nine-week period and prepare for the start of the second nine-week period. Abrahamson also recommended the Dec. 18 early release day instead be a normal school day and give teachers a work day Jan. 4, 2027, to prepare for the third nine weeks.

Abrahamson said early release days are hard on parents, especially elementary age students, because of child care issues. He also said many parents do not even send their children on early release days

Grabowski said on those days, students are released from each building two hours early so teachers can attend meetings and work on grades.

Board member Patricia Fisher said she is not comfortable with students missing school for more teacher professional days.

“Our students need to be in school as much as possible learning with their teachers,” she said.

Grabowski said the district does what it can to get substitute teachers to cover classes when teachers have to attend meetings and professional development, but noted it has been more difficult in recent years to do so because of the difficulty with getting substitutes.

Abrahamson said if 10 teachers have to attend training or meetings, it costs the district $1,200 a day. He said if a professional development day takes place with no students attending, there would be no need to have substitutes.

Officials said the current school year has four waiver days. Board members said they will review the proposed calendar for the next meeting.

PARENT CONCERN

In other business, parent Juliann Golembowski addressed the board over her concerns about unbecoming conduct by a district educator who she said made an online video on her own time outside of school that Golembowski said contained sexually explicit material and some students in the district have viewed it.

She said educators are held to a professional and ethical standard of conduct. Golembowski said some students feel uncomfortable and stressed in the teacher’s classroom after seeing the video. She asked the administration and board to investigate and address the matter.

The board of education did meet in executive session on personnel matters following the meeting Monday.

In other business, the board:

• Heard from Treasurer Laurena Rouan, who reported the district’s enrollment is 203, which is a 15% decrease over seven years. She said she will make a financial presentation at the next meeting on district finances and school levy renewals. Rouan said district expenditures are below inflation, as is district revenue.

• Approved increasing the hourly rate for the on-board instructor for bus driver training from $20.50 to $23 per hour on an as needed basis. Grabowski said this helps the district be competitive with other districts.

• Approved a one-year renewal with UTICA National Insurance Group at $99,137 for property, liability and fleet insurance.

• Created a track timing technician position for the current school year.