Former Trezevant coach Teli White fired

[ReitzFan]

The Shelby County  School Board in Memphis tonight fired former Trezevant football head coach Telli White.  He was fired for academic misconduct.  An investigation revealed at least 53 students graduated with unearned diplomas according to high school football reporter Donovan Stewart.  

The truth has finally come out.  Trezevant should now voluntarily give up the gold balls from the 2015 and 2016 football seasons and vacate the titles. If they don't, the TSSAA should vacate the titles themselves as the championships "won" that season are now proven to be tainted.

[Tide21]

Wow I just read principals resignation letter and it basically said in one part that 5 of 6 top athletes gpa was 2.2 or lower and that their enrollment numbers were falsified to tssaa by teli and they should have actually been playing 4a football. He reported enrollment as 400 when it was actually like 650 . I guess if the accusations in the resignation letters are true. 

[Southtowner]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/education/2017/12/05/trezevant-corruption-investigation-implicates-employee-general-counsel/924026001/

[Southtowner]

Findings:   http://www.scsk12.org/newsroom/#/article/654

Excerpt of Findings: The evidence establishes that Coach White did not misclassify student enrollment numbers in order to play in a more favorable TSSAA football division. All TSSAA determinations based on enrollment numbers are obtained from the Tennessee State Department of Education.

Timeline: http://www.scsk12.org/news/ckfinder/userfiles/files/TREZEVANT-TIMELINE-DEC-2017.pdf

 

 

[Southtowner]

Butler - Snow Investigative Report #1 :  http://www.scsk12.org/communications/files/2017/Butler-Snow_Investigative_Report_Exhibits_public-report.pdf

 

Ogletree Investigation  Report #2: http://www.scsk12.org/communications/files/2017/Ogletree-Investigation.pdf 

[orngnblk]

52 minutes ago, Southtowner said:

Butler - Snow Investigative Report #1 :  http://www.scsk12.org/communications/files/2017/Butler-Snow_Investigative_Report_Exhibits_public-report.pdf

 

Ogletree Investigation  Report #2: http://www.scsk12.org/communications/files/2017/Ogletree-Investigation.pdf 

Very interesting!

[Southtowner]

10 minutes ago, orngnblk said:

Very interesting!

It's gonna take a little while to read all this.  

[Southtowner]

From the Butler-Snow Investigative Report #1  TAB 29

Bernard Childress Interview Summary 

To: SCS/Mackin File
Subject: Summary of October 16, 2017 Interview of Bernard Childress, TSSAA ExecutiveDirector

The Butler Snow investigative team interviewed Bernard Childress (“Childress”) via telephone on October 16, 2017. Below is a summary of the relevant issues discussed.

Trezevant Enrollment Classification

Childress is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). He is specifically charged with school classification. Childress read Ronnie Mackin’s (“Mackin”) letter prior to his interview on October 16, 2017, and stated that Mackin’s allegations on misrepresenting Trezevant’s student population were unfounded. Specifically, Childress stated that it was impossible for a coach to have any influence on those
numbers.

When describing the process, Childress stated that the TSSAA does not take enrollment numbers from individual schools; rather, the district’s Superintendent submits attendance reports to the State Department of Education and to the TSSAA. Per Childress, enrollment would not be taken from a principal. Childress further stated that it is unlikely that the district’s Board or Superintendent would underreport its enrollment because it would directly affect state funding on a per pupil basis.

Childress further stated the TSSAA did not see any classification issues at Trezevant and re-verified the attendance record after Mackin’s allegations. There was also an independent verification in which the TSSAA called the Tennessee Department of Education to verify that it received the same enrollment documents.

Player Eligibility under TSSAA

Concerning the grading scandal that surfaced in 2016, Childress stated he received a call from the Shelby County Board of Education, and the Board requested that the TSSAA send a list of every student eligible to play athletics from 2015-2016. Eligibility under TSSAA standards requires six passing grades. TSSAA requires verification for a player’s eligibility. For each athlete, an online form must be filled out listing how many credits the athlete has. While there were grade changes, where passing grades were changed to higher passing grades, it did not affect an athlete’s status under TSSAA requirements.

Per Childress, Mackin called some time later to state that no students’ grade changes rendered any of them ineligible.

[orngnblk]

1 hour ago, Southtowner said:

It's gonna take a little while to read all this.  

Paying parents to have their kids stay enrolled and have the grades for high school or college is also very intetesting. Yes a lot of reading!

[Tide21]

I read all six pages of mackin resignation letter.  It’s looks as if the part about classification he claimed wasn’t true but he does basically say everyone was involved even basically the school board. Some of it may not be true but a 6 page single spaced letter containing details that many details I find it hard to believe it’s all made up. 

[GeneralForrest]

omg marion should be made champ 2015 AND 2016. its INARGUABLE. 

[TheAmbassador]

Thanks Southtowner.. That was a lot of reading. So correct me if I'm wrong. Most of the kids with invalid diplomas were not football players? Coach White did not falsify the enrollment numbers? I read something about a 2.2 GPA. Does that matter? There is probably no way of ever knowing who got what grades. If any kid that graduated is currently in college then they passed the HS exit exams, passed admissions and college entrance exams. What a mess.