THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100361
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK LENGTH: 91 lines
The angry parents of two Manteo High School students dismissed from the football team say their sons were wrongfully dropped and have called for an investigation of the program.
The players, James Wright and Casey McPherson, were cut from the squad by Coach Steve Basnight for skipping class.
School officials defended the dismissals and said Basnight acted properly in dropping the athletes.
Supporters of the two athletes appeared at Tuesday night's meeting of the Dare County Board of Education.
Loretta Wright of Manns Harbor spoke on her son's behalf during the public comment portion of the meeting. McPherson's parents have complained by letter to Superintendent Leon Holleman, who said Wednesday that the dismissals would be upheld.
Basnight succeeded longtime Coach Moncie ``Punk'' Daniels two seasons ago. Ironically, the dismissal of the two players came on the eve of a 70-0 loss to Asheville last Friday. A year ago after the Asheville game, 10 Manteo athletes were suspended after a violation of the school's discipline policy.
Manteo has a 2-3 record in what has been an injury-plagued 1996 season. The Redskins open Northeastern Conference play Saturday night at Roanoke Rapids.
Wright said her son was dropped from the team after he skipped a Sept. 26 class.
``Skipping class is wrong,'' Loretta Wright said. ``Suspending James for the year is wrong. What would James' punishment be if he were not an athlete? What would the punishment have been if it wasn't football season? I do not believe the punishment was justifiable. When one person is treated differently than other people in a given situation, it is discrimination. James has been discriminated against.''
In an interview Wednesday, Basnight said that before the start of the 1996 season, football players and parents were required to read and sign a set of guidelines for student-athletes, including standards for class attendance. Basnight also said the dismissal came after more than one instance of cutting classes.
``I can't say how many, but there were significantly more than one,'' Basnight said. ``They had received a number of warnings before they were dismissed from our team. We have team guidelines, and we outlined those before the season started. Both of the athletes and their parents signed the procedures, saying they understood what the policy was.''
The guidelines, entitled ``Manteo High School Discipline Procedures for Student Athletes,'' say:
``We believe that team loyalty and unity contribute to success. A student-athlete is a student first and an athlete second. Academic success is the ultimate goal.''
Under a section titled ``Behavior,'' the procedure reads: ``Athletes are expected to attend class, be punctual and behave in a manner that is acceptable. Disruptive behavior will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the team.''
In a letter to Holleman, McPherson's parents, Dane and Julia McPherson of Manns Harbor, also called for a probe into the program.
``We feel Casey has been the brunt of harassment and abuse through jealousy, vindictiveness and poor leadership ability,'' they wrote. ``We know our son has made some poor choices in dealing with these problems. He is willing to accept reasonable punishment for these choices. But what are we teaching our kids when we allow them to suffer for someone else's problems?''
The McPhersons blamed Basnight for those difficulties.
When asked about the call for an investigation, Basnight said, ``I'm not going to comment on that. But when you have a change, and people think that I was going to do things the way Coach Daniels did, it is unreasonable. Extracurricular activities are a privilege, not a right. Manteo High School has policies governing those privileges, and if those rules are violated, then there are consequences.''
Rick Strunk, associate executive director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, said the organization has clear guidelines concerning class attendance, but that policies for cutting class are established by individual school districts.
``You must be regularly enrolled in school and be present in school at least 85 percent of the days during a semester to be eligible to participate,'' Strunk said by phone from the NCHSAA office in Chapel Hill. ``We don't have a policy governing skipping class. But obviously that's not consistent with our goal of academic excellence. And if that type behavior continues, it could jeopardize a student's eligibility.''
Contacted at his office Wednesday afternoon, Holleman said that after an investigation of the dismissal, there would be no reversal of Basnight's action.
``I have looked at the situation, and reviewed the actions of the coaches and players, and find that there's no reason to change the action that has been taken,'' Holleman said.
Holleman said that there is no specific systemwide policy regarding student-athletes cutting class.
``Athletes are expected to conduct themselves in a manner becoming to Manteo High School,'' Holleman said. ``And academics are the keystone of that. Coaches have a great deal of leeway in determining who participates and who doesn't.'' by CNB