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Pine Tree ISD accepts resignation and settlement w/AD-Football Coach Derek Fitzhenry...


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Please go to the 14th page for updates, including a quote from Fitzhenry to me this afternoon, "

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To clarify, go the 8th page of this thread for the latest on the inevitable resignation of Derek Fitzhenry as AD/Football Coach at Pine Tree High School.

 

 

Smoaky

 

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According to KETKNBC.com, Pine Tree has been allowing a convicted felon to play on the football team this year. First the issue with the head coach, then the 3 kids arrested for possession of marijuana, now a kid charged with sexual assault. When will this end?

1 mistake can be fixed, but these are several mistakes over the past month. Something has gotta give.

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According to KETKNBC.com, Pine Tree has been allowing a convicted felon to play on the football team this year. First the issue with the head coach, then the 3 kids arrested for possession of marijuana, now a kid charged with sexual assault. When will this end?

 

1 mistake can be fixed, but these are several mistakes over the past month. Something has gotta give.

KETKNBC.com did NOT say that a "convicted felon" has been allowed to play on the team. There is a big difference between being charged with a crime and being convicted of a crime.

 

You should get on the next school board meeting agenda to address your concerns about the school... but they [board members] will/should not discuss another student in the open meeting.

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These aren't regular mistakes. This is violence by a coach, and drugs & rape by members of his team. If you don't think something is wrong here then that's shocking.

 

This coach has obviously failed as a leader. The superintendent even said that she wasn't aware of his changes to the athletic handbook. I think most would agree with the statement: "Pine Tree ISD athletics is out of control."

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We tried that. The school board president is his best friend. They reinstated him after he assaulted a kid and refused medical attention to a kid with a concussion. I don't think you understand that he appears to be untouchable right now. The supt tried to discipline him, but the board even looked down on her for her actions.

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Looks to me like you need to elect some new board members next go around, have you been back to any board meetings since the new allegations have come to light? Don't give up if you really feel that something must be done...go to every board meeting and address the issue until they do something.

 

otherwise what do you expect the membership here to do?

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Is KETK on a witch hunt. I am sure that they could look into most programs and find problems with the law and drugs. Most schools handle their problems internally.

 

Well, I am sure they are digging deep here to find everything wrong with Pine Tree right now, but we had some thugs come through Marshall and our own issues, but none of them were nearly as bad as what has been reported to allegedly happen.

 

The coach may be using the innocent until proven guilty approach. If the kid hasn't been convicted in court or plead guilty, and claims he is innocent, should a coach really suspend him?

 

I mean winning 3 games at Pine Tree is a big deal. Of course this coach is going to get some wiggle room :) I kid I kid.

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Well, I am sure they are digging deep here to find everything wrong with Pine Tree right now, but we had some thugs come through Marshall and our own issues, but none of them were nearly as bad as what has been reported to allegedly happen.

 

The coach may be using the innocent until proven guilty approach. If the kid hasn't been convicted in court or plead guilty, and claims he is innocent, should a coach really suspend him?

 

I mean winning 3 games at Pine Tree is a big deal. Of course this coach is going to get some wiggle room :) I kid I kid.

 

What KETK is trying to say is...... this was the policy on 10/1/13

"Students charged with felony offenses will not be permitted to participate in PTHS athletics. Felony convictions will result in a one-year suspension."

 

This was the policy on 10/2/13 (2 days before the NAC game):

"Students charged with felony offenses will not be permitted to participate in PTHS athletics until a formal hearing has taken place or the student has pled innocent. Also if the hearing has not occurred within 5 months, and the student has served all days in DEAP, the AD and coordinators will review the case for reinstatement until a formal hearing takes place. After the formal hearing, the case will be reviewed for participation. Felony convictions will result in a one-year suspension."

Then, when KETK and their supposed "witch hunt" reports on it, it miraculously goes back to:

"Students charged with felony offenses will not be permitted to participate in PTHS athletics. Felony convictions will result in a one-year suspension."

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If the sexual assault charges have any validity to them, then Pine Tree Admin needs to step in and remove the dangerous individual until it is proven that he is not a threat to others. Now if it is a mad parent that found out their daughter was having sex with a football player and are trying to press charges because their daughter would never do that willingly, then that is a different story. Too many variables to discuss with any kind of validity without knowing all of the details....

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Feels like there's a new one of these threads every week now. I'm sure some of this definitely has some truth behind it (if not all of it), but also feels like the ones that couldn't get the head coach out when they had the chance are doing everything they can to get more dirt on him and his lack of leadership (not that I blame them if any of this true). Hope someone gets it figured out over there. Too much drama going on at PT atm.

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I know of several schools that have had similar situations and was never on the news.....I guess when you are expected not to have these types of problems then it becomes Breaking News....

And by no means am I defending Pine Tree athletics......

As a PT alum, I think that most of the press is coming from the frequent stories coming out of Greggton. What I think many parents in the PTISD area are expecting some Institutional control, but these are High School students. What these students need are Parental Control. That's the problem with many parents today, they want the schools to handle the discipline, because they don't want the responsibility of raising a child which has more potential problems as a teenager, especially if they didn't instill discipline in their kid as a child.

 

I saw one blip on SDC about the fight at the Super 1, that Coach Fitzhenry was called to. All I got from KETK was there was a fight after a volleyball game. I think that's why we're hearing more of this on Smoaky. As for PT's three wins, big whoop, they've been blown out in two of their last three games. Their first two wins were against 3A teams. If Fitzhenry wants to be the future head coach at PT, he needs to get rid of the bad weeds, and make this his program. If he's the one setting the bad example, then maybe he needs to be removed from both his positions with the school.

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This is not even the beginning. The superintendent probably doesn't know about the practices that were conducted prior to 2-a-days. Our sons were INFORMED they they needed to be at the school for those practices on the week of July 25. I guess Pine Tree is also exempt from the Uil rules as well.

 

Any football player there can tell you that they were told to participate in those practices. The practice field is in view of the public. However, there is a lower practice field that is hidden. This is where those practices took place.

 

I definitely am not a critic of what coaches do, however I do believe they should show class and integrity. Our sons are with them for the majority of the year. They have our kids for hours per day for 9 months a year. The PT coaching staff is showing that rules can be broken, and they don't give a damn what anyone thinks.....including the UIL.

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This is not even the beginning. The superintendent probably doesn't know about the practices that were conducted prior to 2-a-days. Our sons were INFORMED they they needed to be at the school for those practices on the week of July 25. I guess Pine Tree is also exempt from the Uil rules as well.

 

Any football player there can tell you that they were told to participate in those practices. The practice field is in view of the public. However, there is a lower practice field that is hidden. This is where those practices took place.

 

I definitely am not a critic of what coaches do, however I do believe they should show class and integrity. Our sons are with them for the majority of the year. They have our kids for hours per day for 9 months a year. The PT coaching staff is showing that rules can be broken, and they don't give a damn what anyone thinks.....including the UIL.

 

If the PT administration won't listen...you have the option of going to the UIL.

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Section 55: REPORT OF VIOLATION
A superintendent, principal, school administrator, teacher, coach or sponsor may report an alleged violation of the Constitution
and/or Contest Rules by his or her school or school district. The report must be in writing and filed with the district executive
committee or the State Executive Committee, whichever is appropriate, within a reasonable time. The committee shall determine
on a case-by-case basis what is a reasonable period of time, however, there is no time limit to protest eligibility or any other rule
which imposes mandatory penalties.

 

 

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