Brentwood High volunteer coach pushed parents to pay him fees, internal investigation finds

The Williamson County school board reviewed policy Monday night after an internal investigation found that a former Brentwood High School volunteer assistant cross country coach pushed families to pay him in order to have their  children remain on the team, according to a school district investigation.

Former volunteer assistant coach Guy Avery charged about $400 per child a month, the investigation states.

Avery, who was a volunteer varsity boys and girls coach for fall 2015 and fall 2016, agreed not to receive compensation except for reasonable, documented reimbursements, according to a signed volunteer agreement. 

The investigation looked into several parent complaints against Avery. 

What the investigation found:

• Many parents felt that if they did not pay Avery, their child would not be on the varsity team. 
• Families paid Avery for coaching services during the cross county season, even though as a volunteer, Avery was not supposed to receive compensation.
• Families paid for Avery's hotel room at track meets, when reimbursement costs should have gone through the school.
• Avery pushed families to pay him if they were "behind" on payments to him.
• Avery used the Brentwood High campus for for-profit camps. He charged $500 per student for a camp to prepare the athletes for track season on Brentwood High property.
• Avery held practice at Brentwood High during the week and on weekends for the athletes who he trained, including other WCS students and students from other school districts.
• Avery was listed as a volunteer coach and acted as a private coach at the same time - a violation of TSSAA rules that state private coaches cannot coach at meets.
• Although not the head coach, Avery instructed students and told paid coaches how to run practice and events.

The investigation also found Brentwood High School's Principal Kevin Keidel and athletic director Ron Seigenthaler knew about the complaints for several years and did not take action to remedy or handle the situation. 

Avery denied the investigation findings.

He said he was not interviewed for the investigation and it did not include dozens of parents who supported him. 

"This was a hunk of junk in my opinion," he said.

Avery said he entered private coaching one-year agreements with athletes in the off-season.

He said he never charged any athlete during the season who did not already have a pre-existing private agreement.

He also said varsity rosters were purely based on merit.

"Running is very simple. If you were one of the top seven runners, which is what a varsity team is, you were on that team," Avery said. "You never, ever had to be coached by me to be on the varsity team."

As a volunteer coach, Avery said he showed up to practice for 30 minutes every Monday to go over weekly goals for the varsity cross country teams.

He said he was reimbursed by parents for hotel rooms.

Each WCS employee and coach involved in these violations received discipline deemed appropriate for them, Williamson County Director of Schools Mike Looney wrote in a letter to parents in late July.

Keidel was suspended for one day without pay, Looney said. 

Avery refused to meet and did not comply with the investigation, according to the investigation. 

Some of the coaches have chosen to no longer work for the district, Looney wrote.

Parents had mixed feelings about the situation, Looney wrote.

"Some of you expressed unhappiness with our ethical standards, arguing that we should allow tutoring for pay, allow use of the facilities by our coaches for their personal profit, etc.," Looney wrote.

"Others expressed frustration with those coaches based on a feeling of being 'trapped' into paying them directly for their services because they had authority over your children at BHS and you were afraid to refuse," he wrote. "The latter example is a practical reason why these conflict-of-interest standards exist."

Other schools did not have the same problems, Looney wrote.

Keidel emailed parents in March informing them of their revised athletic policies.

"No member of our coaching staff can, is, or will be receiving any payment other than the official district coaching supplement," Keidel wrote. "More specifically, our employees cannot charge you additional fees above and beyond the $100 athletic participation fee."

"This includes any in and/or out of season work that coaches and players do individually. Also, no for-profit businesses can use our athletic facilities at any time," he said. 

Keidel also wrote that every Brentwood High athlete must be at all practices unless a coach excuses their absence. 

Reach Melanie Balakit at mbalakit@tennessean.com. 

Amended policy

The investigation at Brentwood High contributed to the policy adjustments, said WCS spokeswoman Carol Birdsong.

The following was added to Policy 5.608, Academic, Athletic or Arts-related tutoring or private instruction for pay:

• Coaches shall not receive any pay other than from WCS for any student in grades 6-12 within their feeder pattern who is or may be participating in that coach’s sport. Coaches may receive pay from student athletes who are participating in school-authorized clinics and camps. School coaches, who must be employed by WCS, are to only be compensated from school board funds, according to the current salary schedule.
• No teacher or employee shall provide instruction or tutoring for students currently enrolled in the teacher’s class. This rule does not apply to school authorized tutoring and approved clinics, camps, etc.
• Any compensation requires approval from the school.
• A school principal may arrange for a school-funded instructional program presented by non-WCS employees that is deemed beneficial to students.

Policy 3.206, Community use of school facilities:

• No facility, building, equipment or property of the school district shall be available for private or for-profit use except for businesses designated by the school district which enhance the education or recreation of the students or staff when invited by the school to perform an activity.