As a concerned parent and a deeply invested member of our North Salem community, I, along with many others, am dismayed at the actions of our current Athletic Director, Denise Kiernan.  Her tenure at North Salem has been marked by a lack of transparency and a propensity of not telling the truth, subverting the principles she has been asked to uphold.  She has continually shown a lack of concern and care for our athletic programs, coaches and athletes-the group she is meant to support and promote.  This is a gross violation of the commitment she had agreed to undertake.

Sports in North Salem should be a safe place where our children can play with their friends, learn to compete and prepare for life lessons that are not taught in the classroom.  Instead, North Salem finds itself in a position of athletic uncertainty as student athletes must deal with entire seasons being unceremoniously canceled on short notice and students unable to compete in sports against their age-appropriate peers due to the apathy of our athletic leadership.  Year after year, a lack of vision, an inability to think outside the box and a failure to heed the warnings from the community has put multiple sports in North Salem on the brink of collapsing, leaving our kids without a place to play. It is heartbreaking to see our kids unable to play the sports they love because our Athletic Director is unwilling to display the leadership and vision necessary to provide all students an opportunity to participate in the sports they have played since first and second grade.  If this lack of leadership continues, this crisis will only worsen, jeopardizing every sport in North Salem.

Athletes best interests have never been at the forefront.  For years, parents have warned of the collapse of our proud baseball program and Denise Kiernan failed to act in a timely matter leaving our upperclassman without an option to play.  The 2023 Modified Girls Soccer season was eliminated with little or no warning.  The 2024 Modified Girls Volleyball team had to play the entire season with mismatched uniforms.  Our current Girls JV Basketball program has played with a seven member roster resulting in numerous canceled games and practices stunting the athletic growth of the team.  The 2022-2023 JV Girls Basketball season was canceled.  The 2023-2024 JV girls basketball season was almost canceled because Denise Kiernan did not budget for it.  In an open forum attended by parents and students discussing the future of the 2025 baseball program, Denise Kiernan stated that the current Modified Boys Basketball coach was “incompetent” during his tenure as the Modified Boys Baseball coach. He is incompetent, yet he was permitted to coach two seasons?  She scheduled the Boys Varsity Basketball Senior Night as a 4:30 PM game making it nearly impossible for friends and family who work unavailable to partake in our lone Senior’s special night.  Would you like to play tennis in North Salem? Good luck!  The entire tennis program was dropped under Denise Kiernan’s watch in 2023.

The duties of the North Salem Athletic Director are a complex and multifaceted position but foremost among her duties is to give all students an opportunity to play the sports they want to play.  Denise Kiernan has failed to do this. She has fabricated facts,  besmirched her coaches and refused to listen to the parents who have presented viable options to give our kids the opportunity needed to play age-appropriate seasons.  She has chosen ego over practical solutions and it is our children who are paying the price.  Athletics is an integral part of the student’s holistic development and North Salem deserves an Athletic Director who is willing to support athletes, coaches and programs and who is committed to enhancing student’s skills and experiences.  Our school needs an Athletic Director who takes into consideration the importance of their role and the impact it has on many students lives.  

We cannot stand by and watch our athletic program be driven into the ground. I urge every North Salem resident who cares about the future of North Salem Athletics to demand the immediate resignation of Denise Kiernan as North Salem Athletic Director and replace her with someone who generally cares and understands the importance of athletics benefiting our students and the integrity of our sports program.

Please sign this petition today. Your signature is more than just a mark on a page-it stands for the betterment of our kids. Together we can make a difference.