GENTRY -- Following an executive session to discuss personnel matters, the Gentry school board approved the rehiring of a long list of teachers for the 2015-2016 school year at its meeting on April 20.
Included in that list was Timothy Fulks, teacher and coach at the high school, following a parent complaint and request that he no longer be Gentry's head girls' basketball coach.
Gene James, father of one of Gentry's starting players, addressed the board on May 20 with a written request that the board reassign Fulks' basketball coaching duties to someone else. The reason for the request, according to the material James handed out to the board, included allegations that Fulks physically and verbally abused his players.
According to the written statement of James, Fulks "has been physically abusive to some of the girls by squeezing their legs hard enough to leave bruises because he was angry at their performance." James wrote further, "I've witnessed him shoving girls in the back or forehead out of frustration."
James alleges that numerous girls have complained of Fulks squeezing the back of their necks or shoulders but are afraid to come forward because of fear of losing playing time. He said the verbal abuse in the locker room is worse than what parents and fans witness on the court and that Fulks puts all the blame on the players when things don't go well on the court.
In defense of Fulks and Gentry's other coaches, numerous parents also appeared at the school board meeting and expressed their support for Fulks and the coaching staff at the high school. They relayed stories of Fulks helping students, taking them to events and even offering to buy a tire for a student with an unsafe tire on her car. He was commended for his work as golf coach. A number of parents also expressed their disappointment that James spoke of his allegations on social media where students could see it.
James said he was not seeking to get Fulks fired, just relieved of his basketball coaching duties.
Materials distributed by James also indicated that he first brought the matter to Randy Barrett, superintendent of schools for Gentry.
In a letter from Barrett to James, dated April 3, Barrett stated that the results of his own investigation into the matter "did not find that Mr. Fulks' behavior constituted abuse." Barrett went on to write, "I did find that his conduct, both in speech and action as perceived by consensus opinion of the players I interviewed, to sometimes be overly intense."
Barrett's letter said that he had a conference with Fulks and issued to him two undisclosed directives which Barrett said he "believes will ameliorate the issue in the future."
Barrett also provided James with information on how to appeal his decision to the school board.
James asked the superintendent, athletic director and board to petition the Arkansas Activities Association on behalf of his daughter under a hardship clause so that she might be able to transfer to the Siloam Springs School District and still play basketball in her senior year rather than attending in Gentry and sitting out the season.
In other business, the board approved the hiring of Casey Jones to teach choir at the high school, Amanda Miller as middle school counselor, James Ramsey as middle school science teacher, Scott McCollum as middle school math teacher, Elizabeth Fox as middle school literacy and social studies teacher and Erica Jones as high school math teacher.
The board accepted the resignations of David Shelby as high school social studies teacher, Wendy Marney as high school business teacher and Marcy Stave as sixth grade English teacher.
Jaime Still was granted a leave of absence for the next school year.
Three bids for lawn care were opened at the April 20 meeting, with the apparent low bidder being Robert Henderson for $17,000. Other bidders were Pioneer Mowing and Lemke Lawns, with all the bids being within $900 of the low bid.
General News on 04/29/2015