For 28 years, Judy Collins has worked as a Van Nuys football photographer, shooting games at Van Nuys High School and giving the pictures to families at no cost. This season, the school told her to stop, and on a Friday night she was ordered off the field.
Van Nuys High is a public school in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles. It belongs to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Collins, the photographer whose two sons graduated from the school, has supplied the photos for nearly three decades.
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According to a report by the LA Times, Collins was told on a Friday that she could no longer photograph games. She says she had submitted an extension application that met LAUSD volunteer policies. She also says she had never had a problem at the school before this year.
A volunteer path for the Van Nuys football photographer
The trouble started earlier in the season. Collins had been asked to leave her usual spot on the sidelines. Football coach Ken Osorio, the paper reports, became concerned about her presence there.
Osorio and athletic director Dion Coley then suggested that Collins apply to become a volunteer coach. The move was meant to resolve questions about her role on the field. Collins agreed.
The requirements added up quickly. Collins paid $80 for a CPR course and $20 for a tuberculosis screening. She was fingerprinted and cleared a background check. Earlier, she had been told she might need to pay several hundred dollars for a vendor’s license, even though she gave her photos away. Volunteer coaching was the faster route to meeting LAUSD rules.
Once her paperwork was in, Collins, the longtime photographer, was directed to Martin Tate, the assistant principal in charge of athletics. She says she called him several times and tried to find him in person at games. She could not reach him.
Ordered off the field
On the Friday of the game, Collins began taking photographs. Tate approached her and told her to leave the field. When she asked why, he allegedly replied, “I’m just following the principal’s order.”
Collins pointed out that the principal was on administrative leave. Tate did not revise his instruction. The district’s communications office gave no reply when the paper asked for comment.
Collins has since finished her volunteer coach application. She is doing sports photography for Panorama High games while she waits for permission to return to Van Nuys. She has also obtained the official stamp needed to complete her tuberculosis screening, which should let her register as an official volunteer coach.
For a photographer who gave away nearly three decades of work, the case turns on a simple question: what does a volunteer need to do to keep shooting the games? At Van Nuys, the answer has so far been a wait with no date attached.
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Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
Via petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
Why did Van Nuys High tell photographer Judy Collins to stop shooting games?
The school told Collins to stop after football coach Ken Osorio became concerned about her presence on the sidelines, where she had been asked to leave her usual spot. Osorio and athletic director Dion Coley then suggested she apply to become a volunteer coach.
What requirements did Judy Collins complete for her volunteer coach application?
Collins paid $80 for a CPR course and $20 for a tuberculosis screening. She was also fingerprinted and cleared a background check.
What reason did Van Nuys’s assistant principal give for ordering Collins off the field?
When Collins asked why, assistant principal Martin Tate allegedly replied, “I’m just following the principal’s order.” Collins pointed out that the principal was on administrative leave, but Tate did not revise his instruction.
Where is Judy Collins photographing games while she waits to return to Van Nuys?
Collins is doing sports photography for Panorama High games while she waits for permission to return to Van Nuys. She has finished her volunteer coach application and obtained the official stamp needed to complete her tuberculosis screening.
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