Hallettsville personell update on principals and baseball coach

From the Victoria Advocate (Monday's Paper)

HALLETTSVILLE – One resident told Hallettsville school board members Monday night that the charges against three administrators are leaving a deep scar on the district and will overshadow the success of the high school baseball team.

“(The case) has impacted every student and citizen as I am sure it has reached most kitchen tables in this town,” said resident Mark Parker during the meeting. “It brings disgrace to our city and to Texas schools as a whole, as every parent with a school-aged child winced in horror ... It also takes the validity away from any success that the (baseball) team may have acquired this season, for this is what the season will be remembered for instead of the victories.”

About 50 residents packed the Hallettsville school board meeting to either voice their opinions about the district or listen to what others had to say. Monday was the first open forum for residents to comment since three faculty members were arrested.

Darrin Alexander Bickham, the principal of Hallettsville High School; Scott Eugene Cottenoir, the assistant principal and head boys basketball coach; and Calvin Edward Cook, the head baseball coach, were all indicted on state jail felonies and arrested April 29 on charges of failure to report an offense that allegedly occurred March 4.

The three men are accused of violating a law that requires educators to report suspected child abuse or neglect and of intending to conceal abuse of a child, according to indictment documents and a news release from the Hallettsville Police Department.

The charges against the three school officials involve how they handled a reported offense by students that happened in early March in Medina County in the town of Hondo, located west of San Antonio. The Hondo Police Department is investigating allegations of sexual assault that involve several members of the Hallettsville High School baseball team.

Terry Patek spoke during Monday’s forum and said he knows the three men personally and spoke about their characters. Patek said he has known Cook for more than 40 years and said his son plays on the baseball team as well.

Patek said he does not believe there was any wrongdoing by the baseball team or on the staff.

“If you think I’d let my kid stay on that team if I thought something like that was going on, and they didn’t do anything about it, you’re crazy,” Patek said. “The man (Cook) is one of the most disciplined coaches I have ever been around. He’s very strict on the boys, and he’s very concerned about the boys and he’s constantly checking on the boys to make sure they are doing things they should be doing.”

Another parent, Rachael Harding, said the issue is that three faculty members did not report the possibility of abuse.

“These men may not be a physical danger to any one child, but they have become dangerous in a very large sense by placing on themselves responsibilities that legally they never should have put upon themselves,” Harding said. “Removing these men from the school is not a conviction of guilt from you (the district); it is an act of faith. Where the Lord gives much, much is expected.”

May 4, more than 50 community members also attended a specially called school board meeting. During that meeting, no open forum was placed on the agenda, and no action was taken by the school board.

Parents and community members also started a petition to keep the three indicted individuals off campus until the investigation is over.

According to Texas Education Agency officials, local school districts are responsible for deciding whether to allow indicted faculty members to work as long as they are not convicted or placed on deferred adjudication probation for certain crimes. Such crimes include kidnapping, homicide, human trafficking, some assaults and any crimes that require registration as a sex offender.

After public comments at Monday’s meeting, the school board met in executive session for less than half an hour to speak with the district’s attorney about an ongoing Title IX investigation, personnel matters, student transfers for the 2019-2020 school year, the hiring of professional staff and athletic department staffing.

The board approved the student transfers and the hiring of professional staff but did not say what kind of professional staff or who was approved to be hired. The board also agreed to “engage legal counsel for outside Title IX investigation.”

School board president Robert Lundy told those who attended that neither the board nor Superintendent Jo Ann Bludau would comment after the meeting.

Amber Aldaco reports on education for the Victoria Advocate. She may be reached at aaldaco@vicad.com or 361-580-6303.