On Monday night, a large crowd of Redmond High School (RHS) students and parents gathered at the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) Resource Center while school board members and Superintendent Dr. Chip Kimball listened to public comments about former RHS cheerleading coach Ronda Thomas.
Thomas was released from that job in October, for reasons undisclosed by the school district. As mentioned in the Oct. 29 edition of the Redmond Reporter, LWSD communications director Kathryn Reith said possible reasons why a coach might be terminated could include safety issues, violations of rules within the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), inappropriate conduct or any combination of those factors.
Before turning over the microphone, LWSD board president Jackie Pendergrass asked attendees in support of Thomas to please stand. Most of the people in the board room rose to their feet. Pendergrass then invited parents and students to share opinions, concerns or comments, while noting that this was not a time for a question-and-answer session with school board members. She said those wanting feedback from board members could contact them by e-mail.
The first speaker, Ann Killian, said she was there to represent the majority of cheer squad parents and “what we see as an unjustice perpetrated by a small group of negative parents.”
She said unhappy parents used intimidation and bullying tactics to create controversy which led to Thomas’ dismissal and that 25 of 29 cheer families and cheerleaders had “complete confidence in the safety in the coach.”
Another parent, Bob Weible, corroborated earlier reports that the cheerleaders were “pulled out of class and grilled by the administration (at RHS) regarding issues involving the cheer coach.” He said his daughter was very confused and he tried to assure her, “Don’t listen to rumors, it’s hearsay,” but soon after, parents heard in a “very short, non-explaining e-mail” from RHS principal Jane Todd that the coach had been dismissed. He asked the school board and superintendent to please consider, “If there was a true reason for dismissal, I would like an investigation.”
In addition to other parents, there were speakers who were acquainted with Thomas through cheerleading organizations and praised her experience and safety record as a coach.
A third-year member of the RHS cheer squad, Sabrina Nguyen, read an emotional statement that she also has posted on the blog at the Redmond Reporter’s Web site, www.redmond-reporter.com.
Nguyen referred to Thomas as “my hero” and said, “she truly cares about each and every single one of her athletes, always making sure our grades were up and that we respected our teachers at all times. Ronda pushed us beyond the things we thought possible and taught us to never doubt — to take things just one step at a time. She worked us hard and coached us into athletes — into state champions.”
Nguyen wrapped up her statement by saying, “I am not scared to let others know who I am, how I feel and what I stand for,” referring to people who have anonymously complained about Thomas.
Before the board moved on to other business, Kimball said, “We don’t take personnel situations lightly. You don’t have all the information. In personnel cases, there are instances where we aren’t legally allowed to discuss our decisions.”
Kimball added that decisions about termination are “always made very seriously in the best interest of the children … (and) it was not because of parent complaints, but I can not say what happened within the law.”
On Wednesday, the Reporter received comments from the LWSD Board of Directors. Pendergrass spoke on behalf of herself and the other board members who were in attendance at Monday’s meeting — Ravi Shahani, Doug Eglington and Chris Carlson.
The Reporter asked, “Based on the testimonies of parents and the student who spoke at last night’s meeting, do you feel that it would be prudent to revisit the issue and reexamine the evidence leading to Thomas’ termination?”
Pendergrass replied, “Dr. Kimball announced last night that he would review the investigation and the consequences; I agree that it makes sense to do so.”
The Reporter’s next question was, “Even if you feel that the district was justified in terminating Thomas’ contract, do you feel that the release of information about her dismissal could have been handled more proactively? It seems that many parents and students learned of the decision to dismiss Thomas only through rumors. The secretive or ambiguous nature of the communications between the RHS administration, the LWSD, students and parents has created a lot of confusion and concern in the community.”
Pendergrass stated, “Communicating about personnel issues is difficult, given the constraints we have that protect both the district and the privacy of the individual involved. I will ask Chip to review the communication around this situation to determine if this kind of situation could be handled better in the future. We always want to know if there are lessons we can learn.”
Finally, the Reporter inquired, “Are there any other comments you would like to make regarding this issue? How do you feel that the community can best accept whatever decision the district makes and move on, putting this controversy behind them?”
Pendergrass remarked, “The district has in place very careful procedures concerning employee investigations and discipline. These decisions are made very carefully, understanding that an individual’s livelihood is at stake. I am confident that the people and processes in place keep student safety and wellbeing foremost, while protecting the rights of the employees, including their right to privacy. While I cannot provide team members and their families the level of detail they would like to have, I can provide an assurance that Dr. Kimball will complete a fair review of the situation and determine if the consequences are appropriate.”
In a separate communication with Reith, we asked about the plan or timeline to find a new coach for the RHS cheer squad. Reith said, “The current coach (RHS teacher Ashley Northup), who is now stunt-certified, remains in place for this year. Like all coaching positions, the position is year to year and hiring for next year will happen at a later date.”
The Reporter has solicited comments from parents who do not support Thomas and asked them to explain why they opposed her, but none were willing to provide their names.
