It was standing room only at the Dolores School Board of Education meeting, inside the professional development room at the Dolores School District Office.
Parents rallied Tuesday, Feb. 28, for high school wrestling coach Dean Valdez.
To address the throng of parents, the board immediately went into closed session to discuss a personnel issue.
The school board members, the school superintendent Scott Cooper and Valdez shuffled out of the room and were gone for more than an hour.
When Valdez came back, he addressed the crowd.
I get to re-interview for my job next year, he said And I will keep coaching off-season programs.
The night seemed to be the culmination of bad behavior from wrestlers at regional and state competition, stemming from a damaged hotel room and the use of chewing tobacco.
A lot of you are aware of an unfortunate incident, School board member Jon Kelly told the crowd after the closed-session meeting. The parties involved will be dealt with.
Kelly then went on to explain that because the middle and high school are going to hire a new athletic director/assistant principal, they have told all coaches that they must re-apply to their jobs.
Under school policy all, coaches and assistant coaches are at-will employees, Kelly added. All head coaches will be required by a matter of policy to be rehired. No one is being signaled out for any specific action.
The re-hirings, Kelly went on to explain, will be done by a committee of parents, staff and the new athletic director.
Coaches will get feedback and fair evaluations, so they know what their expectations are, Kelly said.
School Board President, Allen Thayer, then tried to close the subject.
This is not open to discussion, he said.
Parents spoke anyway.
A third of the boys at Dolores High School are wrestlers
Are you going let us speak? Larry Johnson said.
Another parent shouted, Parents should be responsible for what students do (at meets), not coaches.
Valdez interrupted the parents at that point.
The board did give me a chance to speak, Valdez said. I will stay with you as long as I can. I appreciate you supporting me. I will be there for the kids, one way or another, no matter what happens.
We just dont want to see our coach kicked in the mouth, Johnson added.
An armed, Montezuma County Deputy was present through the entire meeting.
Later on in the evening, board members voted to add wording to the travel document about behavior of students, while they are on school-sponsored trips.
The board members clarified that chewing tobacco was also banned, even though it already said tobacco products.
