Hoovergate getting nasty

[AFTiger 282]

All of the nasty little rumors are in the open now and it is sickening.

EXCERPTS FROM A LETTER FROM RICHARD BISHOP'S LAWYERS TO THE HOOVER SCHOOL BOARD

Saturday, July 28, 2007

ERIN STOCK

News staff writer

Richard Bishop, dismissed as Hoover High School's principal this week, was directed "to turn a blind eye" to reports of alleged indiscretions by head football Coach Rush Propst that could be damaging to the coach and the football program, Bishop's lawyers said in a letter to school officials.

In the letter, given to the school board Wednesday before it voted not to renew Bishop's contract, the lawyers said terminating Bishop, rather than addressing serious problems in the athletic department, is a politically expedient move.

Specifically, the letter accuses Superintendent Andy Craig of telling Bishop to ignore allegations that Propst had a "secret family and a completely separate life." It also claims that Bishop received reports contending that Propst had had affairs with two school employees.

"These alleged indiscretions by Coach Propst created an improper and unprofessional atmosphere within the school and polarized the athletic director, principal and head football coach," the letter states. "The superintendent not only failed to address Coach Propst's behavior, but also directed Mr. Bishop to turn a blind eye to these issues. The contemplated non-renewal of Mr. Bishop's contract fits a pattern of running off school administrators who have knowledge of information that is harmful to Coach Propst and potentially harmful to Hoover High School's nationally recognized football program."

Propst referred questions to his attorney, who called the allegations concerning his personal life hearsay. "It is unfortunate that someone would inject such personal accusations into a public forum based on nothing more than rumors," said Russ Campbell, an attorney for Propst.

Craig said Friday the letter contains blatant inaccuracies.

"I give the document high marks for creativity," Craig said. "I regret the inaccuracies that the document contains, and I would defer further comment to the ensuing legal process, should that be pursued."

The letter, obtained from a Hoover Board of Education's attorney through a public records request by The Birmingham News, makes the following allegations:

Propst visited Bishop in his office Monday night and said he met with Hoover City Council President Gary Ivey on July 20. According to the letter, Propst said Ivey told him he should persuade Bishop to resign because "somebody has to be the fall guy," stating that Bishop would be fired if he didn't resign. Ivey also told Propst that Sam Pointer Jr., the lawyer hired to conduct an investigation into impropriety at Hoover High, wasn't producing any significant findings.

The school system was becoming a joke, Propst quoted Ivey as saying, and should never have begun an outside investigation.

Former Hoover High Principal Sandra Spivey told Bishop in August 2006 that a school official and Propst had an affair that was documented by e-mails, and that former Superintendent Connie Williams and Spivey met with the two to give them a warning. When Bishop asked why they received only a warning, Spivey said Propst was "untouchable."

Former Athletics Director Jerry Browning in April reported to Bishop that Propst "had a secret family and completely separate life," and Bishop told the superintendent about it. "Mr. Andy Craig ordered Mr. Bishop to leave that situation alone and to specifically stay away from investigating Coach Propst's personal life."

Carol Martin, an assistant principal at Hoover, reported to Bishop earlier this month that Propst had slept with a Hoover High teacher. "Because of Mr. Craig's prior directive, Mr. Bishop did not investigate or report this incident to the superintendent."

Responses to the letter:

Ivey said the alleged meeting between him and Propst never took place. He was on a plane to San Franscisco at 4:30 a.m. July 20 - the date the attorneys' letter claimed he met with Propst.

"I assure you I didn't meet with Mr. Propst before then," he said Friday. "I didn't know anything about Mr. Pointer's investigation at all, how it's going or otherwise, to make that comment."

Williams, the former superintendent, said Friday that in October 2005, in a meeting that included Spivey and Browning, she told Propst and a school employee that any affair between them "has to stop."

Williams said she felt the school board at the time would not support further disciplinary action. Williams, who was fired in June 2006, also said she believes her knowledge and handling of the incident played a role in the school board's decision to fire her.

Spivey said she doesn't recall saying anything about Propst being "untouchable" and said it would be inappropriate to comment about her conversations with Bishop about specific employees.

Efforts to reach Browning on Friday were unsuccessful.

`Cooperating fully':

Propst's attorney said he would not debate the particulars of the letter from Bishop's attorneys in the newspaper. He gave the following statement:

"It is unfortunate that someone would inject such personal accusations into a public forum based on nothing more than rumors. The school board has a process in place to investigate in part the functioning of Hoover's football program. Coach Propst is cooperating fully with that investigation. As for the hearsay allegations - and that's all they are - concerning Coach Propst's personal life, we will address those in the appropriate manner and with the appropriate people. Newspaper sparring on such issues is wholly inappropriate."

Martin, an assistant principal at Hoover, said Friday she had not seen the letter but said she did not report Propst had slept with a teacher. "I'm very surprised that Richard Bishop would write such a thing," Martin said.

`I stand by it':

Bishop, who was hired on a one-year probationary contract last August, said Friday: "Everything in the document is the truth, and I stand by it."

Jim Sturdivant, one of Bishop's attorneys, said they didn't write the letter to sling mud. "We felt they needed to know the information, and they decided to proceed without regard to what we wrote," he said.

The letter also addresses problems with Bishop's evaluation process.

Board members voted 4-0 on Wednesday not to renew Bishop. Craig said afterward he considered what skills and talents were necessary to do the job, and also Bishop's "unsatisfactory, but remediable" evaluation, in making his recommendation.

Asked to elaborate Friday, Craig said he could not. "For me to try to explain in a smaller scope would only put the school system and its resources at risk," he said.

Bishop's contract stipulates that he cannot be dismissed for personal and/or political reasons.

The letter said it was presenting initial findings for each board member to consider before deciding on Bishop's future. It said to keep in mind that the letter was completed with only a 24-hour investigation.

Board member A.W. Bolt said the letter is "full of statements made by a desperate man. He's trying to save his job."

If the motive is to protect the head football coach, then why not keep the principal so he'll keep quiet, said Bolt. Neither Craig nor the board would make such a deal anyway, Bolt said.

School Board President Donna Frazier said she doubted the reliability of the information, which she believed came solely from Bishop without any investigation on the part of his lawyers.

"If the allegations are true, I'm disgusted," she said. "And if they're not true, I'm even more disgusted that someone would put them down on paper."

News staff writer Liz Ellaby contributed to this report. estock@bhamnews.com

Letter form Attorney

[quietfan 233]

As I said in the other thread--I really hope the principal gets his lawsuit into court. Give all parties the power of subpoena and watch this thing explode!

Of course, that might be the very reason the principle gets a nice out-of-court bribe...uh, "settlement".