Editor’s note: The following story has been revised to include revisions made to Hood River County School District’s original decision on the complaint, to reflect changes made on appeal; and addresses additional information received following publication of the original story.
An appeal of three findings made by the Hood River County School District (HRCSD) regarding a written complaint filed against boys’ soccer Head Coach Jaime Rivera resulted in two allegations being upheld and a third overturned, according to a Nov. 9 decision by the district.
Neither decision found evidence of physical or emotional abuse, the most serious allegation, but concerns were expressed by the district regarding Coach Rivera’s treatment of players, and additional details were added regarding the district’s findings and actions regarding the situation.
Complaint decisions
The complaint, submitted to the district Oct. 6, listed six allegations. Two were found to be “substantiated,” three were “partially substantiated” and one “unsubstantiated,” according to an Oct. 20 report provided to Columbia Gorge News upon request. That decision was appealed, and the allegation first ruled unsubstantiated was subsequently overturned and found instead to be partially substantiated, according to the Nov. 9 appeal decision, also provided to the News.
The appeal investigation involved a review of information gathered during the original investigation and additional testimony presented at a meeting attended by about 20 people involved in the appeal, according to the district.
Allegations
The district made the following findings and decisions, according to the reports:
1. Allegations that practice schedules were inconsistent and ran longer than the published times were found to be true, but were the result of equitable field access and schedule changes due to a statewide referee and transportation shortage, according to the district report. A change to one team’s competition schedule may have a cascading effect of changes across all sports teams. And practices did run past the scheduled time, typically when players scrimmaged at the end of practice.
2. Allegations that game playing time was granted to varying degrees was also true, as players who missed practices were subject to reduced playing time.
Allegations three through six were appealed.
3. In the original decision, allegations that changes in starting lineups for games resulted in confusion among players was found to be partially substantiated. Starting lineup for competitions did vary, but it was unsubstantiated that this resulted in confusion regarding expectations. “The evidence indicates that players may understand why the changes occur, but do not agree with that decision,” the first decision stated. That decision was upheld on appeal.
4&5. In the original decision, allegations that Rivera targeted specific players and threatened to remove them from the team if they failed to comply, and that there would be backlash if concerns were raised, was partially substantiated. That decision stated, “The crux of these allegations relate to Mr. Rivera’s coaching style. These allegations are partially substantiated as evidence does indicate that Mr. Rivera directed the captains to have all athletes run laps. However, evidence also indicates the use of this additional physical activity was utilized as a coaching tool to hold athletes accountable and as a motivator to improve. There is no evidence to substantiate a claim of physical or mental abuse.” That decision was upheld on appeal. However, in explaining the appeal decision the report noted, “there is evidence that the coach used physical conditioning as a ‘punitive’ action for perceived poor effort and attitude, and there is evidence that the coach targeted specific players to ‘make an example of.’” Although no evidence was found that Coach Rivera engaged in “mental or physical abuse,” as alleged in the complaint, partial substantiation “does not condone, excuse or absolve the coach from the allegations,” Polkinghorn noted.
6. In the first decision, allegations regarding retaliation were unsubstantiated, as “there was no evidence that suggests that players have brought concerns forward to Mr. Rivera.” That allegation was not upheld on appeal, but was changed to partially unsubstantiated. “The complaint provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the complainant would have a reasonable fear of ‘backlash’ or ‘retaliation’ from the coach. However, the specific language, ‘there will be backlash...’ is speculative. Therefore, this allegation can only be ‘partially substantiated,” according to the appeal decision.
Aftermath
Concerns regarding fear of backlash and retaliation were magnified when Coach Rivera published a letter on Facebook announcing his resignation as an HRCSD coach, and giving a detailed defense of his actions while coach that included accounts of his interactions with players.
Following the public announcement of Rivera’s resignation, Polkinghorn scheduled a meeting to address student team members, “to thank them for their fortitude and courage to speak up when they saw something they felt was wrong,” said Polkinghorn.
“The student-athletes have been heard,” Polkinghorn said. “Their collective voice was the most important and powerful testimony throughout the investigation ... they have the support of the school and school administration.”
Conclusions
In its original decision, the district noted problems regarding how the complaint was made. “Notably, the HRCSD Parent/Athlete Handbook outlines a process for student-athlete/parent/guardian and coach conflict resolution. In this particular instance, this process was not followed,” the district report stated. “While the district ultimately decided to proceed with processing this complaint under district policy, (it is hoped) that parents and students will attempt to resolve future conflicts through the process outlined in the HRCSD Parent/Athlete Handbook before utilizing the district’s public complaint policy.”
In concluding the appeal decision, Polkinghorn noted that HRCSD takes all complaints seriously and reviews them carefully. HRCSD followed its public complaint procedure.
“To provide student-athletes an uninterrupted season, the school district appointed an interim head coach while the investigation took place, allowing the school district to follow its process and carefully complete the investigation,” Polkinghorn said.
Resignation
Coach Rivera resigned following the original resolution of the complaint, and said he was “mostly satisfied” with the district’s decision regarding the appeal.
“There is no doubt of Coach Rivera’s dedication to and love for soccer,” Polkinghorn told Columbia Gorge News. “During his tenure as head coach of the Hood River Valley High School boys soccer program, Coach Rivera has committed countless hours toward the program.”
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