Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Principal: We won't appeal sanctions

Administrators at Nature Coast Technical High School are relieved that the investigation into the school's recruiting policies is over.

By VINCENT THOMAS
Published August 4, 2006

Nature Coast Technical High School administrators were a contrite group Thursday, glad the "gut-wrenching" investigation that began in January seems to have concluded.

A day after the Florida High School Athletic Association fined the school $1,250 and placed it on three years of administrative probation for violating recruiting policies, principal Tizzy Schoelles - seated next to assistant principal and former athletic director Joy Greene and current athletic director Jason Montgomery - said the school will not appeal the sanctions.

Each sport will be responsible for its portion of the fine, which means $500 will come out of the football budget for the actions of assistant coach Eric Riggins, who spoke with a parent at a middle school game and took application paperwork to a neighbor the original FHSAA documents mistakenly blamed head coach Jamie Joyner; the soccer budget will be responsible for the $250 fine assessed for coach Phil Bennett's speaking to a parent and players at a Hernando Heat club soccer practice; and at least half of the $500 fine for inviting middle school players to Nature Coast girls basketball games free of charge will come out of the basketball budget.

Schoelles said the school will help with the fine because the middle school event took place with its approval.

"We were wrong," she said flatly.

Administrators said there was no malicious intent to recruit student athletes in any of their dealings. They said an unfamiliarity with FHSAA policies led to the four violations cited in the letter of reprimand.

"But ignorance is no excuse," said Schoelles.

Although there were recruiting policy violations, administrators were relieved that FHSAA investigations did not corroborate allegations of "cases of a successful recruitment of an athlete," as Hester put it. In other words, there were no instances where Nature Coast dealings resulted in students enrolling at the school or transferring from another school.

"They have hounded us from day one with a lot of allegations that we recruited (particular students)," said Montgomery, who, as the girls basketball coach, has been the target of many of the allegations. "But the report showed that we didn't."

Superintendent Wendy Tellone, according to Schoelles, "understood there was no (malicious) intent."

"She wanted an assurance that we didn't thumb our nose to the rules," Schoelles said.

Schoelles, Greene and Montgomery said they quickly discovered that what they thought was an FHSAA investigation into the athletic departments of all four public high schools "was a one-pronged investigation," Schoelles said.

"My jaw hit the table," said Schoelles, who said two attempts to voice concerns about other schools' practices were rebuffed by the FHSAA and the district.

Neither Tellone nor district administrator Sonya Jackson were available for comment. In late March, the district announced they would conduct a district audit. No information has been released on the findings of the audit, and it remains unclear whether the audit has concluded, or if it ever took place.

Meanwhile, Nature Coast said it is serious about heeding FHSAA commissioner John Stewart's advice of getting "their house in order." The school has implemented several new policies in reaction to the investigation, including sworn statements from incoming student athletes who say they had no previous contact with a coach. Coaches now are instructed to carry index cards and report any contact between prospective students or their parents when the school is mentioned in the conversation.

If Nature Coast is found guilty of another violation during its three-year probation, it is possible that stricter sanctions could come, including expulsion from the FHSAA.

"Three years, 30, 60 or a lifetime probation, it doesn't matter," said Schoelles. "We won't make any decisions independent of checking with (the FHSAA)."

Vincent Thomas can be reached at (352) 424-0177 or vthomas@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 3, 2006, 23:13:53]