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Monday, October 9, 2000

Parents blast
Moanalua officials

Some say they are the source
of problems between JV and
varsity football players

Why write about Moanalua?

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By Ben Henry
Special to the Star-Bulletin

MOANALUA High School officials did not give proper attention when told items were taken from lockers of junior varsity football players and offered back by some varsity players for money, according to parents of some JV players.

Some parents say this has been happening for several years and school officials had been informed. First-year Moanalua principal Darrel Galera said he wasn't aware of it until Sept. 21.

Four varsity players have been suspended from school and kicked off the team for their alleged involvement, but some say the four are scapegoats for a bigger problem involving coaches and administration.

"Those four boys are the cover-up, showing like something is being done," said Steven Cateel, whose stepson said he had items taken from his locker five times, starting in August. "I don't think those boys should be suspended. They should not have to suffer the consequences for these adults. They deserve to finish the season."

Galera said the school responded appropriately.

"It does take time to collect information and to do a good investigation," Galera said. "I believe as a school administration that we did respond as quickly and as best as we were able to."

But parents of JV players disagree.

"(Galera) goes and he blames the JV kids, and turns the whole thing around, telling them, 'If you guys leave your stuff out anymore and anything gets stolen or taken, you'll get kicked off the team.' That came straight from the principal," said Donald Coleman, a father of a junior varsity player.

Coleman said his son had a cell phone and other items stolen from his locker. Later, a varsity player returned the items for money.

Galera said he met with JV players last month to deal with what he felt was just one of many factors in the situation, something he says JV parents may not have understood.

"When someone says they think their property was stolen, the first thing we need to determine is if it actually happened. A lot of times we learn that they just left it somewhere else," Galera said.

"We wanted to communicate to the players what our expectations were regarding being responsible," he said. "But we never said straight out that 'If you do this again, the next thing that will happen is you'll be removed from the team.' I believe it was very non-threatening. It was a chance to start talking about what might be a problem, and that we were working together on it."

Some varsity parents said the administration's actions were made in haste.

"The impression I have is that once the district (superintendent's office) got involved, we had a knee-jerk reaction," varsity parent DJ Foster said.

One parent -- who wished to remain anonymous -- said a JV player has been singled out for implicating the four suspended players.

The parent said this player was assaulted at school after the suspensions.

"The focus has purposely been on my son as a rat, instead of the crime," the parent said. "That takes the focus away from the original crime, the root of the crime. That's exactly where certain people would like it to be."

Galera's response: "I don't think that's a fair statement. Some of the requests that I had from some of those parents was essentially that, that action had to be taken."

Central District School Superintendent Gary Griffiths said Friday he has confidence in Moanalua's internal handling of the problem.

"It's not an issue of whether or not someone's covering up something," said Griffiths, Galera's immediate superior. "I think the real issue here is if a child did something wrong. And if he did, the consequences are clear, and the school's responsibility is to enforce those consequences."

Good intentions, bad results

Many JV parents say what started as a program to teach responsibility turned into a money-making venture for some varsity players.

Coaches charged JV players a fine, usually $3 to $5, if they found their equipment lying around. But, according to some JV parents, some varsity players began charging JV players for found items, then allegedly took it a step further and charged for items that were taken out of locked JV lockers.

"When my boy comes home and tells me that he would have to pay to get his things back, that's wrong," Cateel said.

Galera said there is no "conclusive evidence" that varsity players went into the lockers of JV players.

"We're more focused on the idea that certain individuals had asked for money, and that would be against the rules," he said.

Galera said the fine system was in place for "only a few weeks."

"(A JV parent) told me this has been going on for years, but in terms of what we had determined, that was not true," Galera said.

Some varsity parents, meanwhile, feel the situation was blown out of proportion.

"To me, it's a locker room, it's a little community that has some rules," said Lynette Rudolfo, a parent of a varsity player. "I'm not saying I condone it. But they handle things differently, I guess, to get everybody on the same page. We can't put outside rules inside and make it look criminal."

Some JV parents disagree. "What's happening in there is a crime," said the JV parent who requested anonymity. "If they say this was to teach responsibility, my son is not learning responsibility. He told me he can't wait until he's an upperclassman so he can do those things to the underclassman. He's learning to be an intimidator, an extortionist. I want him to play football, but I want him to learn values."

Atmosphere of intimidation

Some JV parents say coaches condoned the alleged behavior by some of their players.

"One boy told a coach that his things were being taken, and (the coach) said, 'Well you just gotta play the game,' " Cateel said. "That's wrong."

Cateel says the coaches were aware of these allegations in August. "My son (at first) didn't want to say anything for fear of retaliation from coaches," Cateel said. "The first time it happened, my wife called the school. (Head coach Jose Guevara) made it sound like he was a mamma's boy. He said, 'Don't worry, we'll get your stuff back, just don't have your mom call the school anymore.' "

Guevara declined to comment to the Star-Bulletin, despite several requests. Most questions to athletic director George Goto have been referred to Galera.

"I don't believe that the coaches have condoned that behavior at all," Galera said. "I think that may be unfair."

JV parents say coaches made other inappropriate comments. "One coach makes remarks like, 'You JV players, the varsity players are getting rich off you,' " Coleman said. "And when they collect $5, they say 'Oh, all right, I can eat at L&L.' That just tells you straight that's what they do with the money."

The principal defends his coaches.

"That may have been a statement that was made in jest," Galera said. "I don't think it was saying that they knew the students were collecting (money), because in terms of what we've determined, the coaches weren't aware that students had asked for money for themselves."

Many varsity parents support the coaches.

"(Guevara) has always tried to follow whatever rules the OIA has had, the school has had," said Rudolfo. "The man has tried to have integrity. That much I have to at least attest to."

"Coach Guevara holds himself to a very high standard," said Foster, who has had two sons in the program. "One of his stronger points is not necessarily communication. But I have always felt that he was approachable."

"The coaches are volunteering their time essentially seven days a week to do this," Galera said. "They have full-time jobs, and this is all above and beyond, just to provide an opportunity for kids to be able to participate. It's not an easy thing, and I'm not making any excuses for them, but I know that they really work hard for the students."

Rift between varsity and JV

The issue has divided some parents.

"I am embarrassed and saddened by the attitude and behavior displayed ... by some of the parents of the Moanalua junior varsity football team," Rudolfo said in a letter to the Star-Bulletin. "In an attempt to help their children, these parents forgot and thus hurt other people's children and, in essence, damaged a program that was once good."

Said Cateel: "The varsity parents are getting on the JV parents, but it's not our fault. We're protecting our kids. If I was to let my boy do those things, later on in life, what do you think he's going to be doing? Extorting more money, because it's an easy way of getting money. So we gotta stop it now."

Some varsity parents are also upset that JV parents have made the issue public.

"The principal didn't do anything. So what route did I have to go?" said Coleman, the most vocal JV parent in this matter, who initially notified media.

"I'm glad that Mr. Coleman did what he did, because if not, nobody would have done anything, and it would have been the same thing next year," Cateel said. "For him to make a stand, to change the school system, is a good step forward for Moanalua High School."

Some from both sides say it comes down to communication from the administration.

"The only information that I've truly gotten is from my son, (media coverage) and from some discussion between parents," Foster said. "The school has not yet come out and said (anything). Any time you have a situation as volatile and emotional as this, you sit the parents down and say, 'Here's the situation that occurred, here's what we're doing.' Communication has not been what it could be."

There was a meeting with school officials, JV parents and coaches on Sept. 28, but varsity parents were not invited.

"We have tried our best to communicate, and if there is a need for more communication, we will try to do better," Galera said.

Moving forward

School officials have discussed various ways to move forward.

"We're looking at setting up some kind of program where the kids aren't divided, maybe a possible mentoring-type program," said Goto, the athletic director. "We'll take a more positive step, creating a little bit more of a community."

Implemention will take time, administrators say.

"I don't believe it has been discussed with the players yet," Galera said. "We're still in the process of working with the athletic department and our coaches in terms of what something like that might look like."

But some parents aren't ready to move on. Some support the coaching staff, others want the coaches to be disciplined. And some parents want the administration to take responsibility.

Some parents from both sides want the four players who were removed from the team reinstated.

"The boys should somehow be reinstated," said Joseph Holi, the JV team dad. "These kids come from good parents."

Three anonymous varsity parents issued a statement: "While rightfully trying to protect the rights of the junior varsity players, (the administration) failed to give the same protection to varsity players. The punishment was severe."

Galera and Griffiths said there is little chance the players will be reinstated.

"Based on the information that I have, there is evidence to indicate that these students did do something wrong," Griffiths said. "There is also evidence to indicate that the school did take proper action against them."

Griffiths said he was unaware calls were made to Galera's office in August, as one JV parent said.

So far, only one thing is clear.

"This has been a nightmare for all players and parents," the three varsity parents said in their statement.