JC School Board Q of the Day

They have had a positive effect already. Thanks.

 

Ding ding.

 

Thanks bud.

 

Grinder...please know that I am not "hating" on you. I simply want people to recognize that there is always another side to the story. You seem like a great person with genuine good intent. I am glad that you keep up with what's going on yourself instead of letting others tell you what to think. That is more admirable than allowing your only source of information to come from a discussion board like this. Agree that if there is accountability to be held, it should be. If the board is not doing all that they should be, it needs to be addressed. I just hate that it may mean innocent people are dragged through the mud to get that done. Like I said before, I've seen it happen to good people, because a rumor got out of control.

This is a genuine question....do you think that the board should address every rumor or accusation that is made with the public, whether it proves to be fact or fiction?

 

The point of what i am posting is not to out any teacher or start a rumor about a teacher. It is to show the inconsistancy and corruption of the Board. While they let things like my posts "allegedly" get by and covered up, other careers they ruin without facts or evidence. Some cases they look tough, some cases they look the other way. They do not follow their own policies because they are held accountable to no one. No one. Well that is exept the County voters, whom always seem to forget things when it comes time to vote.

The School Board is allowed to do what it wishes, with anyone at any time. When it comes to hiring, firing, looking the other way, covering up and whatnot, they answer to no one. Not the Governor, not the State Board of Instruction, not the Atty. General, no one. Many people do not realize how much power this board has to affect peoples lives, good or bad, and without any regard to anything other than keeping their own seat on the board.

If someone on the board wants a teacher gone for any reason, legit or not, then they are gone. Especially in this state. Teachers have no protection and really none if they are not tenured.

If a student, like in the Clayton High case a month ago, reports to the principal that a teacher rubbed up against them, wether its true or not, the first action of the Board is to tell the teacher to resign and no one will know a thing about it. That their name will not be released and nothing in their record. Just resign. They dont care of its true or not and have no desire to find if its true or not. Just get rid of it and all is well.

Well, you just cant play with peoples lives like that and a School Board should not have that much power over peoples lives like that. Teachers now a days, and especially in JC, have no protection.

That is, unless you know someone.

Probably like in the questions i asked.

 

Well, FWIW, this explaination comes across a lot more genuine and a lot less gossipy than the previous posts, especially to people who don't know you or don't claim to know your character based on your posts to 4042. I appreciate where you're coming from and there should measures in place to hold the board accountable. Heck, everyone else in school system has tests and quarterly reviews and files with their names on them that are meant to hold them accountable and the board does not. I'm with you on that one. And again, I apologize if my questioning your sources came across as questioning your character.

 

Bah, no need. I dont take things personal.

 

You are a good man "G"

 

Sort of like "When did you stop beating your Wife?" or "Do you think Pat McCrory's rumored Long term homosexual love affair should be revealed and why doesn't the GOP do something about it?"

 

Heh all this is making Private school look like a better idea all the time.

 

The reason i am here. (long post)

My son goes to Corinth Holders and is a Sophomore there. As many of you have read in the paper, online and seen the news stories at 5, 6 and 11, the wrestling coach out there, James McNamara was put on administrative leave with pay on March 6 of this year due to an allegation of improper behavior with a student.

On the 6th, the school was holding its Winter Sports Awards ceremony and wrestling, being a winter sport, was represented by almost the entire team of 45 young men. Coach was no where to be found and we had no idea where and why. Well, that night members from the School and School Board were at school watching Coach clean out his room and gain his personal effects. He was not allowed to come to the ceremony nor speak to anyone.

2 years ago when Corinth opened, the wrestling program started with 9 and 10th graders only. Those from Cleveland know what im talking about. The team won 10 matches that year, going up against juniors and seniors. This past year, the team won 30 matches and a 30-7 overall record. Went undefeated in the conference and sent 3 men to States. It was almost a crime Coach was not allowed to give out the awards that night. Does the teams win-loss record matter here? Not in the slightest. Just some background.

That night, members of the School Board gave Coach the chance to resign from his job, walk away and no one would know of it. They would hush it up, nothing would go on his record and he would be free to teach somewhere else. He declined because he is innocent. They then said that if he was not found guilty of this charge, then he would be fired because of the "transportation policy". He said no. (for the record, there was never a transportation policy). So he was placed on leave and a generic letter was sent out to the parents the next day saying a teacher was placed on leave and thats all they would say about it.

On the 7th the School Board sent out a press release to every tv station, newspaper, chamber of commerce and other notables that Coach Mac had been put on leave, mentioned his name, where he worked, showed his picture and so on. Well we were pretty outraged because it is against Board policy for the Board to release that sort of information like they did. The Board replied that the "victims" parents first contacted WRAL and sent them their own "press release" and then WRAL contacted the Board to verify the info. The Board said that since WRAL had the info already, the Board was then allowed to release and confirm everything. (Fast forward a month and WRAL confirmed that this never happened and the first they heard of the story was from the Boards press release. Thats a no-no)

So Coach is on leave and we are all waiting for things to start happening. All of his supporters, as you may have seen from the news articles, 100% believe in his innocence and still do. A week passes and nothing happens. 2 weeks pass and nothing happens. We start to question what is going on. Law enforcement still has not spoken to Coach to get his side of the story. Well, they tried once and Coach said that his attorney was just down the hall and would be back in minute, could they wait. (it is his right afterall) and the LE's left and never came back. The sheriff's department releases a statement saying that Coach was an unwilling participant in the investigation. Not so. He just asked for his attorney to be present. (it is his right, afterall).

The sheriff's department could not longer comment because this was an ongoing investigation. Since when? They never investigated. This issue was between 2 people, and they havent talked to one of them. 3 weeks past. Still no interview. A month passes and still no interview.

All along this journey, we (the supportive parents) were made of several things. 1. The Board was going go let this thing just go on until the end of May, to when Coach's contract ran out and they would just not resign him and the whole thing goes away. We started questioning them about that. Then we hear their plan was to take some sort of action around Spring Break, because everyone will be out of town and no one will be interested. So the day Spring Break came, they officially arrested him. Again, they have yet to interview him. He is arrested and put on bail, $5000 and is out a short time later.

Funny thing. We got more and more interested and more and more people started paying attention to this case. Last week was a court date for a Probable Cause hearing. This is where each side presents their evidence and the judge decides if there is enough evidence and whatnot to proceed to a trial. The DA asked for a continuance. Why? Because there is no evidence. So it was put off until May 3 for another PC hearing, to which we have heard they will ask for another continuance.

To this day, LE has yet to interview Coach. Almost a month and a half later, and no investigation into a "crime" between a teacher and a student.

Its unheard of.

It's because there is no case. Nothing happened and they all know it. If you know anything of the story, we have all said we know in our heart nothign happened because we know the coach. You can say that there is no way we could know him that well. Well, wrestling season is 4 months long. 5 days a week. 3 hours a day. Then you add night matches and weekend tournaments and over a 2 year period, you learn a bit about someone.

Not one single young man on his team has ever made any kind of negative comment towards Coach. You cant fool kids. They see things. If he told tons of off-color jokes, we would know. If he made comments about girls at school, we would know. If he did anything inappropriate, we would know.

He gave a test a few months ago, after school, to a female student. He asked the teacher next door to sit outside his classroom, the door was open, so everything would be monitored. He does not let the boys listen to dirty versions of any song during practice. If you do bad in school, you dont wrestle. Period. He did it to my son last year. This was one of the good ones and one that you want to see continue teaching. He held his team to a very high standard and they held him to one even higher. The boys from Cleveland can tell you, just from what they know of him. He is one teacher and coach that you can not let get away.

Still, the School Board, in order to protect themselves have punished an innocent man and crushed a lot of people in the process.

This is a little shorter version of what i had meant to type but you get the idea.

Oh, and how can i be so certain that he didnt do it?

Because he has proof of it. But that wont get to be seen unless this goes to a criminal trial.

Still, we hope the young woman in question comes forward and does the right thing and tells the truth.

Meanwhile, i am doing what i can to make sure the Board does not get off with only a slap on the wrist.

That...is why i am here.

 

This has been my perception all along. Grinder isn't a "ring and run' rabble rouser.

 

Is it possible that a spokesperson for Johnston County Schools and the School Board lied to the general public when after Coach McNamara's name and position with the school system was sent out in a press release to numerous media outlets, that this was done against the Boards own policy? The Board stated they only released the informa...tion about Coach in response to an inquiry from a local TV station and that since the TV station had his info, the Board was then allowed to confirm the information. When in reality no such inquiry from a local TV station ever existed and this has been confirmed by the TV station. So if no inquiry came, then it must have been against Board and School System policy to release such information. Is it possible the Board also lied about where the TV station got their information? Did the Board learn it's lesson on this, and rather quickly, when just a short time later a teacher at Clayton High was charged with the same "crime" and was allowed to remain teaching in his position pending an investigation yet his information was never released to anyone. Why the difference in 2 cases exactly the same?

 

Dont take this the wrong way, but there have been women married to or engaged to serial killers and had no idea the monster they lived with, so to be honest having a good image and reputation though it lends weight to credibility, doesnt really mean that much, plenty of people folks considered "good" have done some pretty bad things.

That said, I would certainly agree this appears to be a serious case that lacks consistent behavior from the board as well as a complete lack of due process (innocent till proven guilty, speedy trial, etc) and seems like a case of county cronies working to a common cause to make something go away.

I hope the guy is innocent and he gets the right call in the case if so. Good luck.

 

As i stated yesterday, he has proof that this did not happen. If only LE would interview him and let him speak his side.

Funny, they wont do that though.

 

My question is: How long does he have to wait to get a "speedy trial"? I don't know the law, but it is wrong to drag this out this way. I could say more, but I don't want to overstep. I hope he gets resolution soon.

 

Has he tried taking his case to the papers/local TV? They usually L O V E drama like this, and he could quite simply present his evidence to the public if he is as pristine in the incident as he says.

 

He is not allowed to speak to anyone about it yet. Not while the "investigation" is still on going.

Just like the Sheriff is not allowed to speak about it. Unless you are at a small family function to where you feel you are free to speak about the case at length.

Just like the School Board is not allowed to speak about it. Unless you are one of the members of the board at an afternoon athletic event and you are talking to a parent about it, bragging on how things will turn out.

 

No matter what the outcome is of this case for Coach Mac, the repercussions will last a lifetime. 'Google' his name and all that comes up is this case. Any future employer can/will see this. I hope the wigs over there in Smithfield get the same courtesy when this is all said and done, when their names are 'googled'. :neutral: