The Guilford County Board of Education is attempting to crack down on athletics violations in the wake of a scandal involving one of its high schools.
Allegations of improper recruiting surfaced at Northern Guilford High School in April, just after Northern won the state 3-A boys’ basketball title. Principal Joe Yeager and Athletics Director Derrell Force resigned soon thereafter, and the board fired head custodian Louis Lawson, whose son Jacob was a focus of the recruiting allegations.
Though no official reason was given for Louis Lawson’s dismissal, local media reported allegations that he was given the custodian’s job so that Jacob could play basketball for Northern Guilford.
GCS’ investigation didn’t explicitly address recruiting, but it did reveal that 12 athletes were ineligible in a variety of sports, including varsity basketball. GCS turned its findings over to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, which stripped Northern of its basketball title, while other sports teams were forced to forfeit games in which ineligible players were used. And though GCS officially found no wrongdoing on the part of basketball coach Stan Kowalewski, his contract was not renewed for the upcoming school year.
As a result, the school system is attempting to put in place rules designed to discourage athletes from gaming the system. At a recent meeting, board member Nancy Routh shared the first reading of a policy the board is expected to approve at a later meeting.
The policy featured two main points, both of which generated considerable discussion. The first established a tougher grade-point average for athletes. The policy proposed that freshmen have a 1.5 GPA, while upperclassmen have a 2.0 GPA in order to participate in athletics.
“If we truly want to support the concept that our athletic programs are supplementary to our academic programs, and that we expect students to be students first and athletes second, and that we set the expectation for complying with the rules, then this will be a benefit,” Routh said. “Maintaining a 2.0 average is reasonable.”
But confusion centered on whether or not the 2.0 GPA should be weighted, giving more credit for tougher courses, or unweighted. Some board members argued that allowing for the weighted grade-point average would encourage more athletes to take advanced-placement courses.
Board member Kris Cooke argued that setting grade-point average requirements only for sports participation would be unfair to athletes. “If we’re going to do it to athletics, then how can we not do it to other extracurricular activities [such as] band?” Cooke asked.
A motion proposed by board member Amos Quick was adopted, gradually increasing the standards by establishing a 1.5 weighted GPA requirement starting in January 2010 and then raising it to a 2.0 for the 2010-11 school year.
The proposed 365-day waiting period for transfers was also at issue. Under it, students who transfer from at the new school unless the board authorizes the transfer; with the board’s approval, the waiting period will be waived.
Still, the question remains whether the policy will address parents who falsify residency documents, letting a child attend a particular school to participate in athletics. That issue was highlighted in a recent Greensboro News & Record article in which an unidentified parent said she did not regret breaking eligibility rules. “I don’t apologize for doing what’s best for our son,” she said.
“They say what we did was wrong. We didn’t do (anything) selfish or hurt anybody, so where’s the problem?” the parent told the News & Record.
Quick wondered if the new policy went too far and asked how the board could counter such attitudes among parents. “Are we overreacting to one school [Northern Guilford], given that we haven’t had a history of this problem?” Quick asked. “This looks very punitive for the young people. I don’t care if they’re 6-foot-5 and 282 pounds. They’re still kids, and they can still be manipulated by adults.”
Guilford County Schools Athletic Director Leigh Hebbard replied, “There are a lot of people who think this is necessary, and there are other people who think students should be able to transfer for whatever reason they desire. I think this is a first step to address it,” Hebbard added, noting, “I don’t know that there’s anythincan do to stop it altogether.”