Blackman

[StarRaider]

deleted post,

Edited January 21, 2011 by StarRaider

[DAKEKO]

A Blackman High volunteer wrestling assistant coach has been dismissed by Rutherford County Director of Schools Harry Gill Jr. because of inappropriate language found on the coach’s Facebook page.

 

Kenneth Hammonds, who has been a volunteer coach for nine seasons, has been told he no longer can volunteer there after a parent discovered the Facebook page and reported it to the Rutherford County Schools central office.

 

School spokesman James Evans said the language was not sexual in nature, but it was “inappropriate in nature.â€

 

“He had given several students access to his Facebook page and was communicating with kids through that,†Evans said. “We feel it’s important to keep a professional buffer.

 

“We’ve been training principals and teachers for a number of years about the importance of keeping that buffer, such as not giving cell phone numbers and texting students.â€

 

Evans said that buffer includes not using personal web pages, personal e-mail or social media such as Facebook and Twitter to have direct contact with students because it could lead to inappropriate situations.

 

Hammonds said he was upset over the dismissal.

 

“I poured my heart and soul into Blackman and never thought something like this would happen,†Hammonds said. “I’m heartbroken about it.â€

 

Evans said Hammonds was solely a volunteer.

 

“He was not an employee of the school district,†Evans said.

 

Hammonds had been approved solely to volunteer for Blackman High wrestling by the school board. Evans said Hammonds could apply to volunteer at a different school, but he didn’t know the likelyhood that Hammonds would be approved.

 

Evans said Hammonds hadn’t received that specific training with the central school office, but all principals have been told to go through the training with teachers, coaches and volunteers.

 

Evans said he did not know if Blackman High principal Gail Vick held any previous training with Hammonds. Vick deferred all questions to Evans.

 

“He agreed it was inappropriate,†Evans said of Hammonds. “He’s been very cooperative. He apologized and admitted he probably shouldn’t have had it.â€

Hammonds said the language was on his profile page on Facebook.

 

“When you log on, you don’t go to that,†Hammonds said. “I hadn’t seen it in forever. I hate how it turned out.â€

i know that coach hamm will be missed at blackman. hes a great coach and an even more awesome person.

[LovinIt]

Once more it is getting to be negative to be a teacher/coach. More parents are out to nag and bicker about the slightest of things ever so picky. Not focus on the good things that have been done to benefit and encourage those who have needed help and received it from great people like Hamm.

Its a witch hunt to plunder into a persons life away from school. More parents need to be envolved in their kids life after school hours particuliarly at home and weekend when not being supervised by coaches.

 

They have to blame someone when their kids don't turn out perfect! I am sure that facebook page was the start of someone's perfect child dropping out of school or worse! I tried really hard to think of something worse that might contribute to the childs downfall, but I was unable to.

[llman03]

Teachers have been taking kids on feild trips for years now all of a sudden you cant have any contact with the students its rediculous. Teachers and coaches have to have a phone number to get in contact with the players or they wont have a team. I bet they wont tell the football coach he cant call the footbal players or the baseball coach or the soccer coach and the list goes on and on. Coaches have to check grades, make sure the players stay out of trouble and you have to be their for your players or they wont think you care about them. When i wrestled in middle school my coach took us to Gatlinburge there was nobody telling them you cant get to close to the wrestlers.

[tnmatfan]

First of all, I want to be clear and concise with this message (as I am emotionally involved in it).

 

The fact that Kenneth Hammonds (aka Hamm) was released by Rutherford County Schools as a VOLUNTEER is an indictment on our education system as a whole. Too often administrators bow down to the politically correct and use a Cover Your (Butt) mentality and don't take one SECOND to realize the effect(s) their decisions will have on the very students they are "protecting."

 

I have known Ken personally for the last 4 years and have spoken with him, been in a wrestling room with him, or interacted with him on "social media" for just about everyday of that 4-year period. The fact that anyone would deem him as a MENACE TO SOCIETY or harmful to these young, impressionable youth is SO UNBELIEVABLY FALSE and FARTHEST FROM THE TRUTH, i can barely wrap my mind around it.

 

We have all learned a valuable lesson from all of this:

 

You are not allowed to make a mistake. Please tell your children in order to become a successful mentor and to volunteer thousands of hours of your own time that you must be PERFECT.

 

Was Ken in the wrong on this? Unfortunately from the way it was handled/reported, the school had "no choice" but to do what they did...but here's another life lesson for your kids:

 

If you make a mistake, by all means don't be honorable and own up to it and say "I made a mistake, I will fix it immediately..." Owning up to your faults is WRONG.

 

If Ken had been a teacher he would have been able to hire a lawyer and go through a review process...but see we VOLUNTEERS aren't afforded that fundamental right. YOU ARE GUILTY until proven innocent, and at that point, it is too late for the kids, who are the REAL victims in all of this.

 

Here are the simple facts:

 

Those responsible for molding this wrestling program and literally hundreds of kids in the recent past have been forcibly removed from mentoring in a positive manner. The situation with Coach Kennedy and Coach Hammonds is beyond ridiculous and has made me physically sick and emotionally scarred.

 

Furthermore, I am attempting to be approved by the state/county to step in and help out the team for the remainder of the season as this vaccuum will undoubtedly effect many of the Seniors and Juniors that have a REAL shot at state placment. Although if any administrator reads this, they will undoubtedly conclude that I am unfit to volunteer as my knowledge of RIGHT/WRONG is so clouded.

 

Coach Knepper

(931) 222-7213

 

 

I don't know this guy, but I know how our society (especially school boards) take the chicken sh!t politically correct approach to everything. They'll let a thug stay in a classroom as a student, and kick out the kid who forgot he had a tylenol in his pocket from just getting over the flu on a weekend. I'll bet the coach's facebook was much more tame than most of the students' facebook pages you see out there. Alas, that's why I don't do facebook. I'm sorry to hear what happened to your friend and coach. Sounds like a raw deal for that volunteer coach. I watch teenagers talk like drunken sailors around adults these days, but I'm afraid to say "darn" around a teenager for fear of getting in "trouble." My how times have changed.

[NoTime2Spare]

Does anybody know who went to Mr. Gill? I was told that it was a non-wrestling parent. Was it a Blackman parent or somebody else?

Edited February 5, 2011 by NoTime2Spare