kepdawg
04-13-2007, 07:39 PM
Cheerleaders booted from Allen HS squad
Accusations of drinking, MySpace photos cause rancor between members, parents
07:31 PM CDT on Friday, April 13, 2007
By KAREN AYRES / The Dallas Morning News
kayres@dallasnews.com
ALLEN – Several cheerleaders accused of drinking-related offenses have been kicked off the Allen High School squad, sparking a whirlwind of allegations that have threatened to shut down the team’s booster club.
Parents say four girls accused of various drinking-related offenses were removed from the squad and another quit in the last few months. Some of them were nabbed in photos posted on MySpace.com pages.
The allegations have divided parents and girls alike, leading to a battle over favoritism and gossip that mirror recent cheerleading squabbles in McKinney and Southlake.
D.J. Pool, the booster club’s former treasurer, said parents are afraid to speak out and put their children in the spotlight.
“No one wants to get involved because they’re afraid,” said Ms. Pool, whose daughter was removed from the 22-member Allen squad in January.
The written constitution that governs cheerleading suggests that girls can get in trouble for merely being around alcohol much less drinking. Allen ISD officials declined to comment on disciplinary actions within the squad.
“We follow school district rules and the cheerleading constitution to the letter,” said Tim Carroll, the district’s spokesman.
Ms. Pool and her husband, Don, both graduates of Allen High, know the tight-knit world of high school sports too well.
Mr. Pool sits on the booster club at Lovejoy High School for their son’s football team. Ms. Pool became treasurer of the Allen cheer booster group last fall. Still, she makes a point of saying she isn’t a “typical Texas cheerleading mom.”
The Pools say the problems for their daughter, Kaci, a co-captain on the squad, seemed to begin in November when she was voted Football Sweetheart at the Senior Pep Rally. It was a top honor in the competitive world of Allen High, a sprawling campus with more than 3,000 students.
After the pep rally, the Pools attended a spirit dinner and ran into Pam Burns, the cheerleader booster club’s president. Ms. Burns’ daughter was the squad captain.
The Pools said Ms. Burns made a point of telling them that the vote for Sweetheart was very close. They felt that Ms. Burns wanted them to know that her own daughter ran close behind.
“At first we were upset that she would even tell us this, but we decided to enjoy the excitement with our daughter,” the Pools later wrote in an e-mail to the Allen ISD school board.
Ms. Burns declined to be interviewed for this story.
In December, Kaci hosted a party at her home in Lucas when her parents were out of town. The Pools said they approved the party. Kaci told them that some students showed up uninvited with alcohol. Later, she said a friend called his parents to help break up the party. Police showed up but didn’t write any citations.
After the students returned to school in January, the Pools received a call from cheerleading coach Lacey Rainey, who said she was investigating a report about the party. The Pools believe Ms. Burns used her sway as an employee in the athletic department to initiate the investigation.
The cheerleading constitution, which outlines the team’s rules, dictates that reports of drinking and other rule violations will be investigated and can result in dismissal from the squad.
The Pools say Kaci wasn’t drinking, but the constitution specifies that girls can get in trouble just for being around alcohol. Coach Rainey removed Kaci from the squad on Jan. 24.
Coach Rainey declined to be interviewed.
Mr. Pool said he believes his daughter was singled out.
“Every sport was here [at the party at my house],” Mr. Pool said. “Not just average joe blow players, but good players. And nothing happened to them.”
Soon after Kaci was removed, pictures of other cheerleaders in the presence of cups and glasses were sent to school officials. Three girls, including Ms. Burns’ daughter, were removed from the squad. Another girl also quit the squad.
Leslie Barrett said her daughter Brooke was kicked off after someone sent in a photo showing her holding a plastic champagne glass. Brooke said the glass contained a margarita mix without any alcohol, her mother said.
Ms. Barrett said she supports the school district’s anti-drinking efforts, but she believes the rules are not applied consistently to all students.
“I don’t think the girls should be kicked off for photographs that are taken,” Ms. Barrett said.
Barbara Myer said her daughter, Alyssa, was removed after she was spotted in one of the photos. She also said alcohol rules are not evenly applied to all extracurricular activities.
Beth Hudson’s daughter, Nicci, quit after hearing rumors that she would get kicked off the squad because her MySpace page contained a photo of her and her family holding cups at a New Year’s Eve party.
“She had way more things in life to worry about than school cheerleading,” said Ms. Hudson, who said her daughter still plans to participate in competitive cheerleading in college.
Parents said they aren’t sure who actually decided to remove their daughters from the squad — Coach Rainey or school administrators. Mr. Carroll, the Allen ISD spokesman, said school officials don’t routinely review MySpace pages. He said it’s up to each sponsor or coach to investigate complaints of constitution infractions.
Mr. and Mrs. Pool said they rejected the idea of sending MySpace pictures of other students to the school.
“We weren’t fixing to take down the whole cheerleading squad,” Mr. Pool said.
At a heated booster club meeting on Feb. 5, Ms. Pool resigned her post as treasurer. Though Kaci already was off the squad, she made a motion that Ms. Burns be removed as club president. She accused her of overstepping her bounds by reporting the party. The group’s vice president said they would vote at the next meeting.
“There was a lot of animosity that night,” said another parent, who asked not to be identified for fear that someone might retaliate against her daughter. “It was just ridiculous.”
In an e-mail to about 50 parents on Feb. 14, Coach Rainey threatened to disband the booster club if parents’ behavior didn’t improve. The next meeting was set for March 12.
“If the meeting gets out of hand, it will be adjourned,” Ms. Rainey wrote. “If you are out of hand, we will have security remove you from the meeting. I understand that all of you have the right to be heard. However, raised voices and gossip is not something the AHS Cheers Booster Club meetings will tolerate any longer.”
The next day, the coach expanded on her threats in another e-mail to a parent. She said the booster club would be disbanded and the squad’s end-of-year banquet would be cancelled if any of the parents contacted the media.
“I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that if the media gets involved, there will be no way around disbanding the booster club and not having the banquet,” the coach stated.
Ms. Rainey sent the e-mail two days after a story in The Dallas Morning News about a possible assault between two cheerleading fathers at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake.
Several stories in previous weeks had highlighted problems on the McKinney North High School squad, including cheerleaders posing for inappropriate photos posted on MySpace.com.
The booster group didn’t discuss Ms. Pool’s motion to dismiss Ms. Burns as president at the March meeting. Ms. Burns remains the president.
Several of the girls remaining on this year’s squad decided not to try out for next year because of the drama this year.
“Their self esteem has gone down,” said Liz Trujillo, whose daughter didn’t try out again. “Things just went down hill.”
Accusations of drinking, MySpace photos cause rancor between members, parents
07:31 PM CDT on Friday, April 13, 2007
By KAREN AYRES / The Dallas Morning News
kayres@dallasnews.com
ALLEN – Several cheerleaders accused of drinking-related offenses have been kicked off the Allen High School squad, sparking a whirlwind of allegations that have threatened to shut down the team’s booster club.
Parents say four girls accused of various drinking-related offenses were removed from the squad and another quit in the last few months. Some of them were nabbed in photos posted on MySpace.com pages.
The allegations have divided parents and girls alike, leading to a battle over favoritism and gossip that mirror recent cheerleading squabbles in McKinney and Southlake.
D.J. Pool, the booster club’s former treasurer, said parents are afraid to speak out and put their children in the spotlight.
“No one wants to get involved because they’re afraid,” said Ms. Pool, whose daughter was removed from the 22-member Allen squad in January.
The written constitution that governs cheerleading suggests that girls can get in trouble for merely being around alcohol much less drinking. Allen ISD officials declined to comment on disciplinary actions within the squad.
“We follow school district rules and the cheerleading constitution to the letter,” said Tim Carroll, the district’s spokesman.
Ms. Pool and her husband, Don, both graduates of Allen High, know the tight-knit world of high school sports too well.
Mr. Pool sits on the booster club at Lovejoy High School for their son’s football team. Ms. Pool became treasurer of the Allen cheer booster group last fall. Still, she makes a point of saying she isn’t a “typical Texas cheerleading mom.”
The Pools say the problems for their daughter, Kaci, a co-captain on the squad, seemed to begin in November when she was voted Football Sweetheart at the Senior Pep Rally. It was a top honor in the competitive world of Allen High, a sprawling campus with more than 3,000 students.
After the pep rally, the Pools attended a spirit dinner and ran into Pam Burns, the cheerleader booster club’s president. Ms. Burns’ daughter was the squad captain.
The Pools said Ms. Burns made a point of telling them that the vote for Sweetheart was very close. They felt that Ms. Burns wanted them to know that her own daughter ran close behind.
“At first we were upset that she would even tell us this, but we decided to enjoy the excitement with our daughter,” the Pools later wrote in an e-mail to the Allen ISD school board.
Ms. Burns declined to be interviewed for this story.
In December, Kaci hosted a party at her home in Lucas when her parents were out of town. The Pools said they approved the party. Kaci told them that some students showed up uninvited with alcohol. Later, she said a friend called his parents to help break up the party. Police showed up but didn’t write any citations.
After the students returned to school in January, the Pools received a call from cheerleading coach Lacey Rainey, who said she was investigating a report about the party. The Pools believe Ms. Burns used her sway as an employee in the athletic department to initiate the investigation.
The cheerleading constitution, which outlines the team’s rules, dictates that reports of drinking and other rule violations will be investigated and can result in dismissal from the squad.
The Pools say Kaci wasn’t drinking, but the constitution specifies that girls can get in trouble just for being around alcohol. Coach Rainey removed Kaci from the squad on Jan. 24.
Coach Rainey declined to be interviewed.
Mr. Pool said he believes his daughter was singled out.
“Every sport was here [at the party at my house],” Mr. Pool said. “Not just average joe blow players, but good players. And nothing happened to them.”
Soon after Kaci was removed, pictures of other cheerleaders in the presence of cups and glasses were sent to school officials. Three girls, including Ms. Burns’ daughter, were removed from the squad. Another girl also quit the squad.
Leslie Barrett said her daughter Brooke was kicked off after someone sent in a photo showing her holding a plastic champagne glass. Brooke said the glass contained a margarita mix without any alcohol, her mother said.
Ms. Barrett said she supports the school district’s anti-drinking efforts, but she believes the rules are not applied consistently to all students.
“I don’t think the girls should be kicked off for photographs that are taken,” Ms. Barrett said.
Barbara Myer said her daughter, Alyssa, was removed after she was spotted in one of the photos. She also said alcohol rules are not evenly applied to all extracurricular activities.
Beth Hudson’s daughter, Nicci, quit after hearing rumors that she would get kicked off the squad because her MySpace page contained a photo of her and her family holding cups at a New Year’s Eve party.
“She had way more things in life to worry about than school cheerleading,” said Ms. Hudson, who said her daughter still plans to participate in competitive cheerleading in college.
Parents said they aren’t sure who actually decided to remove their daughters from the squad — Coach Rainey or school administrators. Mr. Carroll, the Allen ISD spokesman, said school officials don’t routinely review MySpace pages. He said it’s up to each sponsor or coach to investigate complaints of constitution infractions.
Mr. and Mrs. Pool said they rejected the idea of sending MySpace pictures of other students to the school.
“We weren’t fixing to take down the whole cheerleading squad,” Mr. Pool said.
At a heated booster club meeting on Feb. 5, Ms. Pool resigned her post as treasurer. Though Kaci already was off the squad, she made a motion that Ms. Burns be removed as club president. She accused her of overstepping her bounds by reporting the party. The group’s vice president said they would vote at the next meeting.
“There was a lot of animosity that night,” said another parent, who asked not to be identified for fear that someone might retaliate against her daughter. “It was just ridiculous.”
In an e-mail to about 50 parents on Feb. 14, Coach Rainey threatened to disband the booster club if parents’ behavior didn’t improve. The next meeting was set for March 12.
“If the meeting gets out of hand, it will be adjourned,” Ms. Rainey wrote. “If you are out of hand, we will have security remove you from the meeting. I understand that all of you have the right to be heard. However, raised voices and gossip is not something the AHS Cheers Booster Club meetings will tolerate any longer.”
The next day, the coach expanded on her threats in another e-mail to a parent. She said the booster club would be disbanded and the squad’s end-of-year banquet would be cancelled if any of the parents contacted the media.
“I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that if the media gets involved, there will be no way around disbanding the booster club and not having the banquet,” the coach stated.
Ms. Rainey sent the e-mail two days after a story in The Dallas Morning News about a possible assault between two cheerleading fathers at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake.
Several stories in previous weeks had highlighted problems on the McKinney North High School squad, including cheerleaders posing for inappropriate photos posted on MySpace.com.
The booster group didn’t discuss Ms. Pool’s motion to dismiss Ms. Burns as president at the March meeting. Ms. Burns remains the president.
Several of the girls remaining on this year’s squad decided not to try out for next year because of the drama this year.
“Their self esteem has gone down,” said Liz Trujillo, whose daughter didn’t try out again. “Things just went down hill.”