In a lengthy rebuttal, the Denison (Texas) Independent School District has responded to a lawsuit brought by athefather of a student athlete against district coaches and administrators, alleging that they violated his son’s Constitutional rights when they asked him to cheat and made inappropriate comments about the boy’s mother.
The underlying lawsuit was filed by Michael Wright and seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
Wright, whose son was allegedly the star pitcher on the high school baseball team, claimed that head coach Charles Bollinger made an inappropriate comment about his son’s mother and asked him to cheat during a game by applying Vaseline on the baseball. The plaintiff further alleged that his son was subjected to bullying and other “unfair” punishment after he reported the incidents to Athletic Director Chad Rogers and the administration.
Denison ISD Superintendent Dr. Henry Scott issues a full complete response.
“The Denison Independent School District is aware of a federal lawsuit that was filed yesterday against the District,” Dr. Scott said in a statement. “Although the District has not yet been served, the District considers the complaint to be groundless, and will respond accordingly when appropriate.
“The District responded to, and thoroughly investigated, certain allegations that a baseball coach made inappropriate comments and requested that a player participate in cheating.
“The allegations were not corroborated and no violations were discovered. The District also contacted the UIL regarding the investigation into alleged cheating and confirmed that there was no need for any further action involving the UIL. There is no indication that the District or any of its employees engaged in any retaliation as a result of the allegations. The District takes all allegations of bullying, harassment, and retaliation seriously.
“In light of the pending litigation and concerns about protecting student privacy, the District declines to provide further comment regarding the allegations made in the lawsuit.”
