Latest news with #WestHighSchool
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Knoxville police seek sexual battery suspect who may be in Gatlinburg area
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville detectives are searching for a former high school coach facing multiple sexual battery charges who may be in Sevier County. The Knoxville Police Department Special Crimes Unit is searching for 57-year-old Richard Shaver. He was indicted on four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and two counts of attempted sexual battery by an authority figure. Alabama drug bust: Knoxville man accused of hiding 15 pounds of fentanyl in car battery Investigators believe he may be in the Gatlinburg area and driving a white Chrysler Pacifica van with Tennessee tag 315-BDVN. A spokesperson for Knox County Schools said he was a football coach at West High School and has resigned. Anyone who may have information on Shaver's whereabouts is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers. This is a developing story. or for updates. There are multiple ways you can provide anonymous information to Crime Stoppers. You can call 865-215-7165 or **TIPS, and go online at via the free mobile app, P3 Tips, or the East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers Facebook page. Tipsters can remain anonymous and are eligible to receive a cash reward. Last month, West High School assistant football coach Chad Brooks was indicted on multiple counts of statutory rape. He was placed on unpaid leave and a school spokesperson said his contract would not be renewed for the next school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court spikes an excuse for hiding public comment
The Iowa Supreme Court chamber in the Iowa Judicial Building on Feb. 22, 2023. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Supreme Court gave citizen engagement and accessibility to public meetings a much-needed boost Friday in an appeal of a lawsuit against the Iowa City Community School District. The district's practice of posting full videos of school board meetings on the internet for on-demand public viewing was at the heart of the case. Government officials, staffs of statewide organizations of cities, counties and school boards, and access advocates like the Iowa Freedom of Information Council had awaited the decision with some trepidation. They worried the court might impose liability for statements expressed during public comment portions of governmental meetings and for their republication via internet posting of meeting recordings on government web sites or YouTube. But the justices unanimously upheld lower court decisions dismissing the claims by Amie Villarini, the former girls' tennis coach at Iowa City West High School. The Supreme Court ruling should curtail a recent practice by an increasing number of public officials who advocated that the risk of defamation lawsuits made it necessary for city councils and school boards to omit or limit public comment periods during their meetings, to warn speakers in advance about what they could and could not say, and even to remove or arrest speakers who made crude or demeaning comments. The court decision takes away any rational basis for a governmental body to claim it should not archive recordings of meetings for later public viewing. The Iowa City case arose because the school district is among the governmental bodies that did not cower to pressure to limit members of the public from speaking their minds, lodging complaints, or heaping praise during meetings. The district also did not give in to pressure to closet away video recordings of meetings that captured those comments. Villarini's lawsuit in effect challenged both practices. She sued over statements by two former West High School tennis players who spoke freely during the public-comment time at a 2022 school board meeting. The students expressed disappointment with the results of an internal school investigation of allegations of mistreatment involving the tennis coach, whom the girls did not identify by name. One girl told the board she believed the investigation protected the coach, not students. The other girl asked the board to change the district's investigation procedures to protect students better. Board members did not respond to the girls' statements. The following day, the district placed Villarini on paid leave for the remainder of her one-year contract. The deputy superintendent said school staff learned after the meeting Villarini had posted comments the administrator described as unprofessional and disrespectful to students. In keeping with its custom, the district posted a complete, unaltered video recording of the school board meeting on its YouTube channel two days after the meeting. The district refused multiple requests from Villarini and her lawyer to take the video down. She sued, alleging the district defamed her by republishing what she called 'slanderous' statements by the two girls. The district defended the case, in part arguing that posting unaltered video of a public meeting of a governmental body constituted privileged speech. The Supreme Court agreed. Chief Justice Susan Christensen wrote in the decision: 'The fair-report privilege protects the publication of defamatory matter concerning another in a report of an official action or proceeding or of a meeting open to the public that deals with a matter of public concern … if the report is accurate and complete or a fair abridgement of the occurrence reported.' The court continued: 'Although we are fully articulating this privilege for the first time, we have recognized a version of it since the early 1900s. At the time, the privilege only covered judicial proceedings and could be defeated by a showing of malice. … Here, we are expanding the privilege and updating it so that it covers the report of more proceedings and is defeated by inaccuracy instead of malice.' The court said it may have reached a different conclusion had the district edited the meeting recording. Yet, the court reiterated the importance of supporting steps that increase public access to governmental meetings. 'The application of the fair-report privilege to this case furthers Iowa's open-meeting laws. … Government entities, including school boards, must prioritize the accessibility of public meetings,' the court wrote. 'ICCSD [Iowa City Community School District] has chosen to comply with these laws with the most transparency possible, and that should not be punished. The fair-report privilege protects those government bodies that provide the public with a full account of their meetings.' Thankfully, the Supreme Court did not mince words when it ratified that comments at a public meeting are privileged communications and that posting recordings of those comments is protected so long as the posted version is unaltered. This common sense support of citizen participation in and access to governments continues Iowa's history of openness and its protection of free speech, while adapting state law to current realities. Letting people watch live-streamed governmental board meetings and archived recordings of past meetings from their homes, offices — or even their tractor cabs — is a positive result from the Covid pandemic, when many people avoided large gatherings. Citizens without transportation, parents with children at home, the elderly, or people away from home learned to use Zoom or YouTube to watch their school boards and city council meetings when they could and from remote locations. By applying the fair-report privilege to meetings live-streamed or archived on the internet, even when they contain untoward comments, our Supreme Court has modernized an important protection for expressive rights of Iowans and articulated how the distribution of full-length recordings of meetings promotes government transparency. With this Supreme Court endorsement, city councils, school boards and county boards of supervisors that persist in opening their meetings only to in-person attendees serve only themselves, not the public. Even more, the court's decision strips away a convenient but now dispelled legal excuse for elected officials to avoid doing the right thing. Randy Evans is a member of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative and his columns may be found on his blog, Stray Thoughts. Editor's note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors' blogs to support their work.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Supreme Court: District didn't defame ex-West High tennis coach by posting meeting video
The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a defamation and breach of contract lawsuit from a former West High School tennis coach, concluding a three-year legal battle. Anne Villarini filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the Iowa City Community School District, arguing that the district enabled defamatory comments by two former students. The comments were published in meeting minutes and broadcast in a video of the meeting from April 2022 on the district's board website and YouTube channel. Villarini, who joined the West High tennis program in 2013, requested "on many occasions" that the school district remove the video and redact the meeting minutes, claiming that the comments and video were defamatory. More: Iowa City West High tennis coach sues district, calling comments at school board meeting defamatory Villarini also argued that the district wrongfully terminated her and breached the contract terms. She was hired on a series of one-year contract extensions during each tenure, according to court filings. A Johnson County District Court judge initially granted "summary judgment" to the Iowa City district and dismissed Villarini's lawsuit. In November 2024, the state Court of Appeals denied Villarini's appeal. The Iowa Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts on Friday, May 16, upholding the dismissal and writing that the school is protected by "fair-report privilege." The principle often protects the news media from legal repercussions when it reports on defamation during a public meeting. "Applying the fair-report privilege to public school board meetings adds scaffolding to our open-government structure," Iowa Supreme Court Judge Samuel Langholz wrote in the opinion. "Shielding those that err on the side of transparency by drafting thorough minutes or posting unabridged videos." More: Federal judge grants injunction in Iowa student visa case, halting possible deportation By publishing the meeting video, the court ruled that the Iowa City Community School District was "fairly and accurately relay(ing) statements made during open, official proceedings." The court said the fair-report privilege "furthers the public's interest" by allowing residents to make their own judgments about meetings, school board decisions and board members without having to attend the meeting. During the comment period from the meeting in question in April 2022, a then-Iowa City West High School student described a 15-second experience where Villarini allegedly "touched (her) inappropriately" on her back and thighs and said "inappropriate things." She and another student were critical of how the district handled the alleged situation. "The district made clear to me that my feelings do not matter," the student said, referencing a district investigation and report that preceded the comments. That report confirmed that some of the alleged actions, which included "unwanted physical contact," favoritism, retaliation, and insensitivity, did happen. The district determined that the accusations didn't amount to "incident contact" and were "not violative of any ICCSD policy," according to the Johnson County District Court judge's 2023 ruling. More: Iowa Legislature ends 2025 session with no action on property taxes. Here's what happened: The report cautioned Villarini to "refrain from touching players as much as reasonably possible." Villarini remained the coach of the girls' tennis team after the report was released. Villarini was placed on administrative leave in 2022, the day after the two students spoke at the board meeting. Villarini said the decision was a "knee-jerk" reaction. She received full compensation under the terms of her contract, according to the Iowa Supreme Court. More: Despite a sudden closure 6 months ago, the Sanctuary Pub is reopening under new ownership In her claim for breach of contract, Villarini wrote that Iowa has a public policy to protect 'against school employees being forced out of their jobs by angry parents and students making wild, unfounded allegations for the purpose of ousting that employee.' The Iowa Supreme Court agreed with the district court, which said the claim failed because Villarini did not reference a "clearly defined public policy." Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@ or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Supreme Court upholds dismissal of West High coach's defamation suit
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Manchester schools 'Wheel of Power' packet still stirring strong emotions
Manchester residents and school officials weighed in publicly this week for the first time since a packet on microaggressions and a 'Wheel of Power and Privilege' shared with some students elicited strong reactions across the city. The May 12 Board of School Committee meeting was the first since word of the packet spread late last month. Several speakers expressed concerns with the materials during the public comment portion of the session, while others — including some board members — spoke on the importance of recognizing diversity in the Queen City. 'When our district started to become more diverse, it was a challenge in schools, and I witnessed firsthand some of the prejudice against students that might speak a different language,' said Bob Baines, who is a former mayor, educator and current school board member. 'At West High School, before I got there, French was the dominant language that people spoke in their homes. English was the second language. I had a teacher one time in class tell a student to go back to Puerto Rico, where he belonged, because he was from Puerto Rico. 'We have to create an understanding of where people come from, that's how you create a community. Manchester is becoming a minority majority school district.' Eighth graders in a class at Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School brought home a packet Thursday, April 24, titled 'Cultural Fluency 2.0: Microaggressions.' The packet was distributed in connection with a unit on the Holocaust. School officials said the packet contained some materials intended only for staff development. Microaggressions are defined by Merriam-Webster as 'a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).' In response to concerns aired by some parents, the district issued a statement saying they understand the topic can 'create reactions and conversations within our classrooms.' 'In this isolated incident, students were asked to complete an anonymous self-reflection form to explore their understanding of self to text within the unit,' the statement read. 'Unfortunately, materials intended only for staff professional development were used for this anonymous student self-reflection.' On Friday, April 25, Amadou Hamady — executive director of Student Engagement, Outcomes and Success for the Manchester School District — sent staff an email regarding Cultural Fluency training PowerPoint slides asking them to 'refrain from sharing any training materials, especially presentation slides, surveys, facilitator guides, or discussion content with students or external parties.' At Monday's meeting, Alderman Crissy Kantor said the packet is a divisive element in a city home to 'so much beautiful diversity.' 'When I was 10, 11, 12, I was one of the most brown kids in school, and now there's even more colors, more cultures and everything,' Kantor said. 'So to push this divide — and it is a divide, it's a complete divide — we're just dividing our children up and making them feel bad about themselves.' Manchester resident Camille Craffey called the 'Wheel of Power and Privilege' a 'very divisive piece of paper.' 'Wheel of Power and Privilege,' list cultural identifiers — such as White, middle-class or citizen — and the degree of power and privilege associated with each. It listed categories including skin color, sexuality, ability, citizenship, neurodiversity, body size, housing, wealth, and gender identity (options there were trans non-binary, female identified, male identified). 'There's even a portion in this packet that says, if you say you don't see color, then you are expressing a microaggression,' Craffey said. 'Is that not where we want to be? Is that not part of Dr Martin Luther King's message, to judge someone by the content of their character and not the color of their skin?' Manchester resident Callie Rojas said the Google definition of the Wheel of Power is 'a visual tool illustrating how different social identities can be associated with varying degrees of power and privilege within a society.' 'So if we left segregation in the past, then why are we telling individuals that they are limited?' Rojas said. 'My father is the first of his 10 siblings who came to America from Colombia. He is proud to be an American and blessed to have achieved the American dream. He worked hard his whole life and has now retired from a company that he has worked for for over 25 years. He has college degrees, certificates and a pension. According to this wheel standard, he should be large, homeless, poor, with an elementary education. This is blatant racism.' School board Vice Chairman Jim O'Connell said he thinks people are looking at something and claiming that it's creating division, not recognizing diversity, when 'actually it's doing exactly the opposite.' 'I think it's very important that we as a district recognize that we do have a diverse population,' O'Connell said. 'It is important that our students learn to live in the society that we live in today, and we'd be doing a disservice if we were not helping them to understand the world that they're living in.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Father of accuser in case of teacher charged with rape speaks out on victim advocacy
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A family member of the person accusing a West High School teacher and coach of aggravated statutory rape is speaking out. After he was arrested last week, 32-year-old Chad Brooks was indicted on 16 counts of aggravated statutory rape and statutory rape by an authority figure. Knox County Schools placed Brooks on unpaid leave, and are not renewing his contract for the next school year. While all 16 counts against Brooks list a single person, KPD is urging anyone impacted by this case, or anyone who is aware of possible victims to come forward. In talking to this person's father, he said as upset as he is at the situation, he is placing his trust in the victim advocacy groups to bring his daughter justice. West High teacher facing statutory rape charges placed on administrative leave 'Being a dad the first thing that hits my mind is rage and, I guess, violent thoughts,' he said. 'I spoke with one of the special unit, the Knoxville Police Department Special Crimes Division officer, and he kind of reassured me to just let them do their job, and they'd get a handled for me.' After KPD started their investigation into Brooks back in April, the West High School student's dad said he was relieved to learn Brooks was arrested. 'Charges have been brought against him and he's going to be prosecuted for what is done and just basically just trying to be there for her, walking step-by-step with her the whole way,' he said. He said it is the groups like KPD's Special Victims Unit that have helped them in this process. Other victim advocacy groups like the Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee said they are here for these kinds of situations. 'We could get anywhere from one to 10 calls or more every single day,' said the McNabb Center Victim Services Director Lacy Bradley. Bradley added they average almost a thousand hotline calls a year, and preform around 300 sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE exams, across East Tennessee. 'We work alongside all of the community partners that need to be a part of this to figure out where we're going to go and how we can keep our city safe, our city safer,' said Bradley. 'Our students and our children, women out taking a jog, in our schools, we want to provide prevention as we can and as is requested.' Tennessee State Veterinarian issues alert for flesh-eating parasite Whether it is working with police departments, families, or schools, they say they hope to provide a safe space for victims to find support. The accuser's father also hopes groups like these encourage those who may be victims of these crimes to come forward. 'I would just encourage any of them to feel free to reach out to the Knoxville Police Department. They've been a great help with us as far as having support for my daughter, and advocating for her,' he said. 'I would definitely encourage any other victims regarding this case or any other case of sexual abuse to definitely step forward.' Despite the fact Brooks will not be returning to West High School, the father said he finds comfort in the fact his daughter will soon be graduating. ▶ See more top stories on KPD is urging anyone who may be impacted by this case or who is aware of possible child abuse or statutory rape to call their special crimes unit at 865-215-6810 or visit them at the Knoxville Family Justice Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
