Kennedy Weets resigned as Cloquet/Esko/Carlton’s girls hockey coach this week, making clear that the issue wasn’t the student-athletes; it was the parents.

Weets, who coached the team for four years, stepped down after what she and Cloquet High School principal Steve Battaglia described as a bitter, tumultuous year.

In her resignation letter, Weets said she and her staff “experienced repeated instances of inappropriate conduct from parents.”

This included “emails, text messages, phone calls, confrontational meetings, conduct violations during games and communications that raised safety concerns,” she wrote.

Weets added: “Some of these actions extended beyond the arena, including notes left on my vehicle and at my residence. Collectively these incidents created legitimate concerns regarding personal safety, staff safety and family safety.”

Battaglia issued a statement March 17, the day Weets resigned. He said the letters left for Weets were anonymous.

“We had another incident this season where parents confronted our coaching staff just outside of the locker room following a game,” Battaglia said in his statement. “School administration banned those parents from the arena for the remainder of the season.”

Girls hockey coaching turnover remains concerning across the state. Last August, the state’s high school coaches association released a study showing 72% of the state’s girls hockey head coaching jobs had come open over the past three school years. Of the six sports programs studied, the next closest was girls basketball, at 52%.

“Disagreement between parents and head coaches isn’t uncommon,” Battaglia said. “However some of the stuff that has gone on [in Cloquet] rarely happens in high school sports.”

Coaches across the country commonly cite long hours, low pay, burnout and tense relationships with parents as reasons many are exiting the profession, according to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

Cloquet/Esko/Carlton went 10-15-1 this past season, improving upon the previous season’s 6-18-2 mark.

“The athletes consistently demonstrated a willingness to work and develop, and coaching them was a positive and meaningful experience,” Weets wrote.

Battaglia said the school hopes to have a new coach to recommend to the school board in April.

“I hope these issues are addressed moving forward to ensure a safe, respectful and development-focused environment for athletes and staff.” Weets wrote. “I wish the players and the program success in the future.”