Another coach with another kid |
Another coach with another kid |
Dec 18 2009, 09:03 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 97 Joined: 8-May 09 Member No.: 912 |
http://nwitimes.com/news/breaking/article_...1cc4c03286.html Former LaPorte coach turns himself over to authorities By Christine Kraly and Marisa Kwiatkowski Times Staff Writers | Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009 12:05 am | (7) Comments LAPORTE | A former LaPorte High School assistant girls volleyball coach was charged Thursday with multiple felonies for an alleged sexual relationship with a minor, an Indiana State Police spokeswoman confirmed. And a Times investigation shows the charges could be a second black mark for LaPorte High School's volleyball team in the last two years. Robert Ashcraft, 45, faces two felony counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one felony count of child seduction, state police Sgt. Ann Wojas said. The LaPorte resident turned himself in about 6:30 p.m. Thursday at LaPorte County Jail, Wojas said. Wojas was unable to provide details of Ashcraft's charges Thursday, including when the alleged incidents occurred and whether they took place at LaPorte High School, where Ashcraft had been an assistant junior varsity coach. Wojas did report that the victim was younger than 16 years old at the time of the alleged incidents and that Ashcraft was not involved at the school other than in his coaching role. LaPorte Community School Corp. officials announced Ashcraft's resignation at a district meeting Nov. 11, 2008. Jim Dermody, the school corporation's assistant superintendent, said Thursday evening that he was unaware of Ashcraft's charges and felt it would be inappropriate to comment. Other school and athletics officials contacted by The Times did not return phone calls seeking comment. In an unrelated case in March, the U.S. Department of Education found that the LaPorte school corporation unlawfully retaliated against a student trainer who reported seeing what he believed was a professional trainer fondling a female volleyball player in 2007. The federal agency's Office for Civil Rights found the corporation violated Title IX when it stripped then-senior Dan Vermette of his student trainer duties after he reported the 2007 incident. Vermette -- who is now a computer specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps -- reported the alleged groping to both the school corporation and an outside employer that helped fund the professional trainer's salary, according to the Office for Civil Rights decision. A school official told Vermette that reporting the incident to that outside employer was "incredibly inappropriate," federal records state. |
Mar 23 2012, 12:25 PM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 5,171 Joined: 11-December 06 From: Indiana Member No.: 10 |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...75568103486.txt
QUOTE La Porte residents ask for answers involving Lebo, Gilliland By Matt Fritz Staff Writer Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012 5:06 PM CDT La PORTE — Members of the community are asking the La Porte Community School Board to rethink the superintendent's decision to reinstate two employees still facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to report child abuse. Several parents expressed their displeasure with the decision during a school board meeting Tuesday night when board members were asked to ratify their knowledge of the pair's suspension without pay last year. "You need to do the right thing," said parent Raymond Lang. "You need to remove these people from our school to protect our kids. It's up to you guys to do the right thing." Head varsity volleyball coach Mary Beth Lebo and Athletic Director Ed Gilliland are charged for allegedly failing to report child abuse or neglect in the case of former volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft, who had sexual relations with an underage player in the district. Both coaches were on paid leave until late February. Lebo has since resigned from her coaching duties. She is still a teacher. Board members accepted her coaching resignation at the meeting. Lang said it's up to the jury to figure out whether the coaches reported correctly, but pointed out that the school has a zero tolerance policy in sports and should apply it to the coaching staff as well. He reminded the board that students in the volleyball program who were retaliated against for speaking up about this issue are going to have to walk down the same hallways as those coaches. "You feel helpless," he said. "The staff and administrators who were most closely related (to the problem) have been reinstated to the school without explanation." He said parents need to hear why, and that the administration needs to be open about it. When taking a vote on ratifying their knowledge about Lebo and Gilliland's paid suspension, both Jan Ribordy and Rhonda Spence dissented with their fellow board members. Explaining that she wasn't speaking on behalf of the board, Ribordy said she did not support the reinstatement of the coaches and thought they should remain on suspension until the criminal chargers were settled in court. "Given the pending or threatened litigation," she said, "I see no benefit (to reinstating them)." Spence did not make a comment during or after the meeting. Board president Mark Kosior was absent from the meeting due to a business trip. When speaking about the issue, teacher Greg Samuelson said he wanted School Board Vice-President Michael Kellems, who is also the Sheriff's Department's liaison with the corporation, to resign. He said Kellems could have questioned him about reports he initially made about the rumors back in 2008, but didn't. Samuelson made a report to Child Protective Services regarding a rumor he heard about Ashcraft having a sexual relationship with one of his players. Kellems said he had no comment in regard to Samuelson's statements. At the meeting, parent Kirk Kubik voiced his support for the coaches' removal, saying he wanted to know why they didn't report Ashcraft years ago when the rumors of his relations with a student started. He also wanted to know what was the total cost of the board's private investigation into the matter (which involved the hiring of a private detective at $250 an hour) and why the findings of that report haven't been made public. After the meeting, Samuelson said he had 100 signatures from parents agreeing that there was a state of continuing discriminatory practices against female athletes in the district since at least 2007, where individuals were not being held accountable for their actions or lack thereof. He said he was going to use it to ask the office of Civil Rights Department of Education for a title nine enforcement to investigate the corporation. On Wednesday, Superintendent Glade Montgomery said parents and community patrons are more then welcome to meet with him about their concerns. He said he had no comments about what was said at the meeting. Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~Dr. Suess
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