I had written to you about the abuse I was receiving at my school concerning my teacher evaluation at my Elementary School, and how I lost my coaching job at the High School for standing up for players in the Boy's Basketball program. The story only seems to be getting better all the time. I did explain in my letter about a month ago to Christine Williamsen how the Sunnyside School Board decided to remove the Head Boy's Basketball coach only a month after I had received a letter saying my coaching contract would not be renewed.
The players in the program asked me to stand up for them, and I did because I saw numerous problems within the program. If the Head Coach was not removed then the school district was going to be sued by two sets of parents. The Head Coach was given the option to resign or be fired. So of course he resigned.
The reason they said my coaching contract was not renewed was for not "Following the Chain of Command." I had started with the Head Coach and Athletic Director in early February of last year, so that we could work out some problems the kids were having. Neither of them wanted to listen. So after the season was over I spoke to the Principal at the high school. He had a letter of resignation ready for me to sign that day. I told him that wasn't the reason I was there. I told him that there were problems that needed dealt with, but he didn't want to listen either. Finally I went to the Superintendent about the problems. He had told me that there were a couple things that he had not heard and that he would look into them.
On May 15, 2003 I received a letter saying my coaching contract would not be renewed. If I had any question to please contact the superintendent. The letter also went to the personnel file of the building principal. Why the athletic director didn't receive a letter I am not sure. My team at the high school finished 19-1, and I had respect of the players and parents within the program. The problem was that the Head Coach and Athletic Director had become good friends since they coached together for a year in Sunnyside.
After I had received my letter saying my coaching contract would not be renewed, I helped the parents group who was trying to get the Head Coach removed. One of the parents asked me if I was willing to speak in front of a news camera out of Yakima. I said, "Sure, what do I have to lose?" The reporter had come up a week previous to the closed door hearing, and had stopped by the Superintendent to get some information. Immediately after she had stopped by to talk to him, he gave me a call and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was standing up for the kids, and that people needed to know it was wrong for not listening to what I had to say. He said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." It was like a threat. So I told him out of respect for the district that I wouldn't say anything at the time. A week later I had enough of the bullying and decided to talk to them the night of the closed door meeting. Jenie Lee of KAPP TV out of Yakima interviewed me, and the story went on the air after the school board had decided that he was to resign or be fired.
During this whole time the Sunnyside School District has said that teaching and coaching are separate issues and that my Uniserv Rep out of Yakima couldn't do anything to help me get my coaching job back. So who is there to protect me for doing the right thing? Basically nobody I guess. I've written letters to the OSPI, WIAA, and the WEA and have got nothing but the run around. I will be calling a lady at OSPI tomorrow concerning my latest problems. I am also meeting with my Uniserv Rep concerning the latest problems as well. I had told my Uniserv Rep that my evaluation last spring was near flawless. (All 1's on my review) This year I received on my fall evaluation a 3, three 2's, and three 1's.
In my exit interview with my Vice Principal (the same man who evaluated me the year before) he tried to tell me how coaching and teaching were alike. I about erupted, but I kept my composure. My Uniserv rep had warned me that they may go after my teaching job, but little did I know how true that would be.
So during this past week I also decided to go watch the Boy's and Girl's Basketball teams play in Sunnyside. I still go to the games because I care about these kids lives. As I walked in the gym that night one of my former players who is on the JV Boy's Basketball team had come over as I walked by to say, "Hi!" Out of respect for the kid I said, "Good luck! I hope you have a great game!" This took about all of ten seconds.Then but not a few seconds later the Athletic Director came up to me and said, "I don't think that's appropriate behavior before a basketball game." So I figured he was done at this point, and was headed up to sit down. He continued to follow me, and try and lecture me on what was appropriate behavior. I did not give him the time of day, or respond to any of his childish behavior. It totally amazed me that an adult with so much authority in a public school system could act as though he were three years old.
I was so upset that I wrote the superintendent at the school district on Monday. I gave the letter to him today, since yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and we didn't have school. (Kind of ironic how I wrote it on the day of a man who stood up for peoples rights-LOL) I received no response from the superintendent today. Which doesn't suprise me one bit. So now I get to meet with my Uniserv Rep tomorrow at 4:00 pm to tell him the latest news. As of now he is going to make the school district get me a new evaluation. (Big Deal-like that's suppose to make these actions okay) I wonder how he is going to respond to how the Athletic Director treated me this week end?
I will send a separate email pertaining to the letter I sent the Superintendent today. This will give you a better idea of how crazy this whole thing has become. The sad thing is my Union really hasn't done anything to protect me. I am at the point I am thinking of hiring a lawyer, and taking this to court. It has gone beyond how anyone should be treated in a public school system. I hope that you will highly consider writing about this, because it only further proves your point on how the OSPI, the WEA, and the WIAA do nothing to protect teachers or coaches for doing the right thing.
ANDERSON