Our district’s silence is inappropriate in the age of #MeToo. Coach Baron resigned under a false premise

To the Editor:

I am writing about the dismissal of longtime Voorheesville girls’ varsity basketball coach, Robert Baron [Voorheesville girls’ basketball coach resigns amid unstated allegations,” The Enterprise, Nov. 22, 2017] to ask this question: Was it fair?

What led up to Coach’s resignation?

— 1. Practice times are scheduled by Coach Baron weekly. However, before he submits his request to the athletic director, Joseph Sapienza, he would always check with his team about members’ availability. When the girls indicated certain conflicts, Coach adapted his own schedule to accommodate the team. There were no conflicts indicated by the Player when Coach submitted his weekly practice request to the AD for approval.

Note: After the practice schedule is approved by the AD, there is typically no wiggle room to make a change to said schedule for that week.

— 2. A problem! Subsequently, after the AD approved the weekly practice schedule, Coach announced the schedule to the team. It was at this time the Player told him she had a conflict ….

— 3. Coach was surprised by the sudden turn of events and blurted out in disappointment to the Player, “If I had gun, I’d shoot you” and then followed up at the same time telling the Player, “Be careful and don’t hurt yourself again,” referencing a previous injury ….

— 4. The Player’s family had planned a vacation … that interfered with the team’s schedule ...

— 5. For her absence, the Player was held to the same rules as any team member would be, not playing in the first game of the season ….

— 6. On Nov. 8, when Coach arrived at school for practice, he was met by the AD who escorted him to the office of Superintendent Brian Hunt. Mr. Hunt told Coach at that time he was being put on administrative leave and Coach was told to stay off of school grounds and to have no contact with any students or staff members. Coach complied with Mr. Hunt’s request.

— 7. Six days later, Coach was called into another meeting during which he was told the administration needed more time to complete its investigation. Two days later, he was called in by Superintendent Hunt (AD Sapienza was also present) and Superintendent Hunt told Coach, “It’s not going to work,” and “We’re going in another direction.”

Further, Mr. Hunt gave Coach the “impression” that his entire team — all 10 players — voted for a coaching change. It was because Coach believed Mr. Hunt’s characterization of this point to be true (I understand “impression” does not necessarily equal fact) that he decided to resign from his position.

Additionally, Coach was told by Mr. Hunt that he was owed an explanation and, in about a week’s time, they would talk again. Coach is still waiting for Mr. Hunt’s call!

— 8. To my knowledge, only two of the 10 active players, mothers, or fathers were asked to participate in said investigation.

Question: Why wouldn’t the other eight then-current active players, along with their parents, not be interviewed during the investigation period? As teammates on the 2017-18 girls’ basketball team, shouldn’t all their opinions have been heard? My own bias given this issue is that I believe two parent insiders and certain administration officials were trying to shape an outcome as a way to achieve their own desired agenda. That they were, initially, successful in executing their plan doesn’t make it right. Just ask the eight girls and their parents whom I believe had no voice in this matter initially.

Note: This point is important as Coach resigned under a false premise.

— 9. Coach Baron is highly regarded for his fairness, equal treatment of his players, and his requirement that all his players adhere to team rules.

— 10. I, personally, believe this investigation was wired from the inside by a minority of parents and certain school officials with an agenda ….

In closing, I, personally believe this was a flawed, non-inclusive investigation that the board of education acted on without being given full and complete information by certain Voorheesville school district administrators, whether intentionally or not.

Further, I find our district’s silence inappropriate in the age of #MeToo. That it has tarnished Coach Baron’s reputation, I have no doubt.

Shameful!

Coach is a class act, a giver not a taker, and our community knows it.

Bob Burns

Voorheesville

Editor’s note: Portions of this letter that may have identified the player in question have been removed.

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