Rootstown Coach Resigns

At least 1 local TV reporter showed up at the meeting and she is reporting it’s not a good scene. Fox News reporter Melissa Reid:

“First #Rootstown community comments were calling Superintendent Hawkins & school board members racist. People in audience yelling in agreement.”

“#Rootstown school board president demanding a third party investigation into the Superintendent’s, high school principal, AD, & several board member’s involvement in the reversal of student’s suspension, accused of racial slurs against a fellow football player”
 
Auggie said:
At least 1 local TV reporter showed up at the meeting and she is reporting it’s not a good scene. Fox News reporter Melissa Reid:

“First #Rootstown community comments were calling Superintendent Hawkins & school board members racist. People in audience yelling in agreement.”

“#Rootstown school board president demanding a third party investigation into the Superintendent’s, high school principal, AD, & several board member’s involvement in the reversal of student’s suspension, accused of racial slurs against a fellow football player”
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The school board President is married to the Athletic Director.... bet that conversation at dinner was delightful but she 100% knows who reinstated this kid so by demanding a third party to do the dirty work she can’t be accused of hiding anything if her husband was involved. But my guess is she is confident her hubby didn’t do it.
 
bass10 said:
They put him in the tough spot, good for him. Admins and school boards can be cancerous to programs.
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. They ARE cancerous at many places. They are at the top of the food chain for political correctness. I would to add a few choice words, but I’d lower myself to their pathetic level.
 
theterribletowel said:
How could the board conduct a vote that was not in public? Wouldnt this have been an administrative decision? Chain of command would have been Coach, AD, Principal, Super, public board meeting.
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. Again, the Board has final say whenever they want on Any subject.
 
Auggie said:
This.

There has to be more than what is out there in the media sources, I am guessing the perpetrator's family has pull with some kind of decision maker(s) at a high level to the point that a coach with his own connections to the school was overruled on an internal team matter. Kind of sad that there will be a board meeting tonight that accepts Coach's resignation and this thing will be swept under a rug and forgotten about in a week.
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Friends in Portage County say it’s a pretty poorly-held secret who the kid is, but that this insinuation isn’t remotely possible for one particular reason.
 
firewatch said:
The school board President is married to the Athletic Director.... bet that conversation at dinner was delightful but she 100% knows who reinstated this kid so by demanding a third party to do the dirty work she can’t be accused of hiding anything if her husband was involved. But my guess is she is confident her hubby didn’t do it.
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There really shouldn't be that conflict of interest. One or the other should resign.
 
The Dock said:
Friends in Portage County say it’s a pretty poorly-held secret who the kid is, but that this insinuation isn’t remotely possible for one particular reason.
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If it's that easy why not come out with it so this whole thing can be done with? :unsure:
 
I do not understand why none of the logic has come out. I can think of a couple of reasons why they might have reinstated the kid that with the explanation could have been satisfactory. It would have required the blessing of the families that were targeted with the slurs, but bigger obstacles have been overcome. Worst fights and bad situations I've ever had have been with my closest friends, so it's not beyond reality that something good could have come from the situation.

I'm not sure I would have resigned. Everyone handles things differently, but my instinct would have been to make them fire me. I would have dug my heals in and forced them to compound a bad decision with another bad decision. I have quit a job once when I was asked to do something I thought was unethical, so I can also see why he would have resigned. I have kicked a kid off my team before for that kid cussing out a teammate. It never made it past me and the kids and the parents, but looking back, if it had, I think that since I was in a position of authority as a coach, I would have stood up for my principles by standing my ground and making them remove me. (Not saying what the coach did was wrong. I can also see myself seeing red and losing my cool and quitting.) My way of fighting for the kids and teaching them would be to stand up to it and not leave them to deal with it. That is standing a million miles away and looking at the big picture from my perspective.

Could the SI have had a good reason to reinstate the kid? Perhaps. Maybe he thinks it's worthwhile to help steer the kid to a better path. Kid might have a home situation that makes it much better for him to be apart of the team in the long run? Maybe 10 other legit reasons that we can't even thing of. Might be as simple as "We would lose the lawsuit they are threatening because the policy is in writing. (As stupid as that might be.) Let's put it in writing and deal with it then.

The thing is, Kids will self police. I'm still confused, that if all this actually happened, the team would still have suited up and played a game. The head girls track and field coach kicked a girl off the team that impacted a 4x800 relay that ended up 2nd in the state. Take out 2nd fastest girl and sub in 5th fastest. Not a single word by anyone. The kids that it directly impacted thought it was a good decision. Not even close to the infraction of throwing around racial slurs.
 
psycho_dad said:
I do not understand why none of the logic has come out. I can think of a couple of reasons why they might have reinstated the kid that with the explanation could have been satisfactory. It would have required the blessing of the families that were targeted with the slurs, but bigger obstacles have been overcome. Worst fights and bad situations I've ever had have been with my closest friends, so it's not beyond reality that something good could have come from the situation.

I'm not sure I would have resigned. Everyone handles things differently, but my instinct would have been to make them fire me. I would have dug my heals in and forced them to compound a bad decision with another bad decision. I have quit a job once when I was asked to do something I thought was unethical, so I can also see why he would have resigned. I have kicked a kid off my team before for that kid cussing out a teammate. It never made it past me and the kids and the parents, but looking back, if it had, I think that since I was in a position of authority as a coach, I would have stood up for my principles by standing my ground and making them remove me. (Not saying what the coach did was wrong. I can also see myself seeing red and losing my cool and quitting.) My way of fighting for the kids and teaching them would be to stand up to it and not leave them to deal with it. That is standing a million miles away and looking at the big picture from my perspective.

Could the SI have had a good reason to reinstate the kid? Perhaps. Maybe he thinks it's worthwhile to help steer the kid to a better path. Kid might have a home situation that makes it much better for him to be apart of the team in the long run? Maybe 10 other legit reasons that we can't even thing of. Might be as simple as "We would lose the lawsuit they are threatening because the policy is in writing. (As stupid as that might be.) Let's put it in writing and deal with it then.

The thing is, Kids will self police. I'm still confused, that if all this actually happened, the team would still have suited up and played a game. The head girls track and field coach kicked a girl off the team that impacted a 4x800 relay that ended up 2nd in the state. Take out 2nd fastest girl and sub in 5th fastest. Not a single word by anyone. The kids that it directly impacted thought it was a good decision. Not even close to the infraction of throwing around racial slurs.
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The news article states that he was dismissed from the team after the second offense. It also states that the coach accepted the reinstatement and just planned on not playing the student. At this point, the superintendent told him he had to play the kid. That's when the coach resigned. Seems reasonable to resign at this time.

This one is about to go BOOM....
 
ideliver said:
The news article states that he was dismissed from the team after the second offense. It also states that the coach accepted the reinstatement and just planned on not playing the student. At this point, the superintendent told him he had to play the kid. That's when the coach resigned. Seems reasonable to resign at this time.

This one is about to go BOOM....
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So, who is the kid's father and what influence does he have over the superintendent and board? The answer probably lies somewhere in there.
 
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ideliver said:
The news article states that he was dismissed from the team after the second offense. It also states that the coach accepted the reinstatement and just planned on not playing the student. At this point, the superintendent told him he had to play the kid. That's when the coach resigned. Seems reasonable to resign at this time.

This one is about to go BOOM....
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Even that is all messed up. How does the SI have any say of who gets in a game? There are many reasons why a kid would not get in the game.

What kind of influence could a parent have that has a kid is out of control throwing racial slurs around at football practice? I'm not buying that. The SI didn't get to where he is without some ability to read the room. Do I deal with a parent threatening me, or the angry mob with lanterns and pitchforks storming the castle? How did he pick this hill to die on? Why? Makes no sense.
 
1 time said:
. Yes, but right now the school board has final power and say over everything in every district
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Kind of what I was trying to say. If the community wants to hold the school board accountable, you do it with your vote. Time after time, I see board members that just want to feel important, not DO anything important.
 
thisisinsane said:
Kind of what I was trying to say. If the community wants to hold the school board accountable, you do it with your vote. Time after time, I see board members that just want to feel important, not DO anything important.
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. Exactly. There are a few good ones. Probably is, many good candidates won’t run. They don’t want to deal with the public and a lot battles within the school districts.
 
Ironically the Rootstown football team plays St Thomas Aquinas on Friday. Last years All State Qb for the Knights is the son of the controversial Rootstown Superintendent.
 
pcbuck said:
Ironically the Rootstown football team plays St Thomas Aquinas on Friday. Last years All State Qb for the Knights is the son of the controversial Rootstown Superintendent.
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I don't believe he is playing though. I think he injured his knee and may be done for the year. Could be wrong though.
 
I do not know all of the rules, but I do not think you can have an impromtu meeting with the Super and a few board members to dicuss personnel and policies. One of the lawyers on here would have this answer. The other board members should be outraged that they were not in "the group" that was consulted.

Bellbrook, in the Dayton area, is paying a huge fine and court cost for violating the public meeting rules. I believe their problem was that the board and Super were having a group text that the public could not view.

I assume some people will resign over this. If not, they should be fired or voted out.
 
clarkgriswold said:
Fox News story referenced by Auggie, with video-

https://fox8.com/news/rootstown-school-board-meeting-heated-after-head-football-coach-resigns/
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I want to know who are the 2 guys at the start of the video and who are their dogs in this fight. Did I hear one say, "I know where you live"?

I still do not get this story, maybe nothing was really said and the one kid is making things up but then again why would a coach walk away from his "dream" job unless he knew it was true or maybe things are really toxic behind the scenes?
 
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