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Question about bullying, harrassement, fight instigations by school administration.

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Whodunnit

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Mississippi

The event(s) occurred in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools accredited private school. The employee/coach involved has no accreditation or post high school education.

The gist of events is as follows:

YoungMaleAge16 has been targeted by a coach (we'll call him HarassingCoach) for harassment since football season. The primary reason for harassment is he's been a threat to athletic "inheritance". IE stealing a lesser players position on a sports team. If anyone is familiar with private schools in Mississippi then you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. Harassment includes vulgar language, vulgar name calling, "pet names" and nick names meant to degrade and/or question the "masculinity" of the YoungMaleAge16. An elder member of administration had to take over the football team during the season because of the behavior by HarassingCoach. The coach has been targeting YoungMaleAge16 now in basketball. Long story short HarassingCoach decided that 4 players who he verbally coached into disliking YoungMaleAge16 into "voting him off" the team. Only 4 of 15 total players on the team were allowed to vote. Some of these players admitted in text messages that they were coersed into voting him off the team and targeting YoungMaleAge16 for harassment. HarassingCoach instigated/encouraged a confrontation between players, 3 vs 1 of YoungMale16 in the gym at a practice in which the 3 players physically attacked YoungMale16. He tried to defend himself until a 4th player intervened in which he was pinned down. YoungMaleAge16 received scratches on his neck and face area (pictures were taken) during the scuffle. According to the own girlfriend of HarassingCoach she screamed for him to stop the scuffle and it took place in his line of sight.

There's other details and events but that's the gist of it. There ARE witnesses to said events. However they showed a lack of initiative in showing up to give the testimony they claimed they would gladly give. (recorded in text on phone). However some witnesses did show up to file a formal complaint against HarassingCoach. Upon a school board meeting the board decided they would "Talk to HarassingCoach about his language but that YoungMaleAge16 was still kicked off the team and that if he was involved in another incident he would be expelled from the school". Meaning they don't care that he's being harassed, even with witnesses and phone/text evidence to back up his account of events. HarassingCoach lied and said a vote was not taken but the 4 boys had already confessed and instigated and oversaw the vote. Since these altercations are against YoungMale16s will and are forced upon him the boards verdict means any one of these players, including HarassingCoach could instigate an incident with YoungMale16 to intentionally have him permanently expelled from the school system. Basically, they threatened him.

What I'm mostly wondering about is the legal ramifications, since the school board itself has proved useless, for an adult authority figure bullying a student subordinate, using vulgar language and demeaning language on a minor in an education setting, not only verbally harassing but using fellow teammates to instigate physical violence on YoungMale16 and leaving recorded injuries in the process. We also have recorded evidence of text/online bullying by the players in question. I think, also of note is that the younger brother (over 20 and in college) of HarassingCoach, who has no official affiliation with the school has regularly attended lunches at the school cafeteria and has instigated verbal bullying and harassment of YoungMale16 by encouraging other students to do the same, and by making false statements against YoungMale16.

If there is any other information I can supply I am happy to do so and appreciate in advance any help and information you can provide.
 


PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
Well, the parents could take the kid out of the school for starters.

You sort of lost me when you typed this "The primary reason for harassment is he's been a threat to athletic "inheritance". IE stealing a lesser players position on a sports team." I'm very familiar Mississippi high school athletics and I seldom met a coach that worried about anything other than winning.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
It's a private school.

Enroll 16 year old in a different private school.

Or, if the kid is there for academic reasons, quit the team and focus on learning. Or another sport with a more sympathetic coach. Odds are very high that good SAT/ACT scores and excellent grades will serve him better.
 

Whodunnit

Junior Member
Well, the parents could take the kid out of the school for starters.

You sort of lost me when you typed this "The primary reason for harassment is he's been a threat to athletic "inheritance". IE stealing a lesser players position on a sports team." I'm very familiar Mississippi high school athletics and I seldom met a coach that worried about anything other than winning.
But are you familiar with PRIVATE high school athletics? It's a major difference from the public school system in Mississippi. There's a lot of politics corruption in the Mississippi Private school system. Unfortunately this student really has no other reasonable option. The local public school was closed down in a consolidation move and anything else would be an hour or more away one way.

Well, the parents could take the kid out of the school for starters.
Also, is that really legal advice or how to be a cowardly doormat?

It's a private school.

Enroll 16 year old in a different private school.

Or, if the kid is there for academic reasons, quit the team and focus on learning. Or another sport with a more sympathetic coach. Odds are very high that good SAT/ACT scores and excellent grades will serve him better.
He really likes basketball and would like to get a scholarship to a community college. Is your advice that people should quite their passion when bullied by administration instead of sticking up for themselves?
 

HRZ

Senior Member
I've got some family down your way...and unfortunately they spent so much money trying to avoid the public school system they forgot to get a decent education.....

LIfe is full of people who play favorites ...and not every point is worth a fight or winnable ..I've been there when my child was shunned by a HS coach ..but she is darn successful now . Suck it up and move forward

AT least to me, a scholarship to play basketball at a community college is not a goal worthy of a fight or a ticket out of town. ( Some strange games go on in public schools too especially as to "recruiting " star players ...get over it . )
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
But are you familiar with PRIVATE high school athletics? It's a major difference from the public school system in Mississippi. There's a lot of politics corruption in the Mississippi Private school system. Unfortunately this student really has no other reasonable option. The local public school was closed down in a consolidation move and anything else would be an hour or more away one way.



Also, is that really legal advice or how to be a cowardly doormat?



He really likes basketball and would like to get a scholarship to a community college. Is your advice that people should quite their passion when bullied by administration instead of sticking up for themselves?
His parents should give him a greater goal than CC. If that is this poor boys "passion" then his parents suck.
 

stealth2

Under the Radar Member
He really likes basketball and would like to get a scholarship to a community college. Is your advice that people should quite their passion when bullied by administration instead of sticking up for themselves?
Wait.... what? His aspiration is a BBall scholarship to a CC? Words fail me.
 

PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
But are you familiar with PRIVATE high school athletics? It's a major difference from the public school system in Mississippi. There's a lot of politics corruption in the Mississippi Private school system. Unfortunately this student really has no other reasonable option. The local public school was closed down in a consolidation move and anything else would be an hour or more away one way.



Also, is that really legal advice or how to be a cowardly doormat?



He really likes basketball and would like to get a scholarship to a community college. Is your advice that people should quite their passion when bullied by administration instead of sticking up for themselves?
Yes I am familiar with private schools there and their athletic departments. This school could of course be different.

It is a private school. You are paying them. If you don't like the services they are offering go somewhere else. Much like if you don't like the burger at McDonalds you can go to Burger King. You could also send him to public school and he can take the bus.
 

xylene

Senior Member
The real Q is does this school accept fed funds and fall under title IX?

Sounds like pretty clear sex harassment.
 

HRZ

Senior Member
Unless this HS or one under the same organizational umbrella gets federal funds AND there is a tie to discrimination by sex ...I don't see the title 9 link ...the coach could favor legacy children or children of members of his local motorcycles club or any other reason that might be unfair as you see it ...
 

xylene

Senior Member
Unless this HS or one under the same organizational umbrella gets federal funds AND there is a tie to discrimination by sex ...I don't see the title 9 link ...the coach could favor legacy children or children of members of his local motorcycles club or any other reason that might be unfair as you see it ...
The legacy favoritism is a red herring and not particularly important.

"Harassment includes vulgar language, vulgar name calling, "pet names" and nick names meant to degrade and/or question the "masculinity" of the YoungMaleAge16."

That is the problematic action of the coach which may rise to sexual harassment.

As you most certainly know the harasser and the subject of the unwanted behavior do not need to be different genders.
 

TheGeekess

Keeper of the Kraken
His parents should give him a greater goal than CC. If that is this poor boys "passion" then his parents suck.
Why would you say that? :rolleyes:

Community colleges offer vocational classes; where do you think tomorrow's plumbers, welders, and mechanics are going to come from? And those folks will be making three to four times what the 4-year grad working the fry machine at Mickey D's will ever make with a liberal arts degree. Guess which of my degrees pays my bills? It's the AS I hold, not my BA. :cool:
 

HRZ

Senior Member
THe OP phrased the problem in context of forcing young man off the team to make way for some legacy player ...that may be nasty way to coach ..but as presented it was not sex linked . And more than giving more playing time to a board members child may be .
 

xylene

Senior Member
THe OP phrased the problem in context of forcing young man off the team to make way for some legacy player ...that may be nasty way to coach ..but as presented it was not sex linked . And more than giving more playing time to a board members child may be .
The coach could have been doing it out out of some misguided idea of fairness. We haven't spoken to the coach. His goal doesn't really change the problematic conduct of of bullying a school student for their perceived level of manliness.

The fact that it actually had a definite and documentable effect however does help the case.
 
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