Meadowdale's Blair resigned after violations

Meadowdale's Blair resigned after violations

By Lynn Thompson
Times Snohomish County bureau

Karen Blair resigned as Meadowdale High School girls basketball coach amid an investigation that found she violated Edmonds School District policy regarding summer out-of-state travel for players.

According to documents obtained recently through the state public-records law, the district informed Blair on April 19 that she would receive a written reprimand for helping to arrange a trip for nine players to an Arizona tournament. That violated district policy that allows summer travel only in the Northwest and only when previously authorized.

The reprimand followed a verbal warning in June 2004 after Blair drove two players to watch a college basketball tournament in Eugene, Ore., again without district permission.

Blair and the Meadowdale girls basketball program also was placed on two-years' probation in February for allowing players to appear in paid advertisements in the team's season basketball guide, a violation of Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) rules that prohibit students from appearing in commercial endorsements.

The action carries no sanctions and is akin to a "strict reminder," said Terri McMahan, Edmonds School District athletic director.

The highly successful basketball coach resigned May 25 after 11 years as Meadowdale's head coach, citing aggressive parents and a lack of support from school and district administrators. Her resignation produced an outcry from former players and parents, who held a rally at the Lynnwood school June 2 to show their support.

"The way things have been handled over the past two years is a big frustration and why I resigned," Blair said this week. "I feel like I'm having to defend myself over and over again. The [complaining] parents wouldn't talk to me face to face, but the school district gave them a voice."

Blair said she stopped planning the Arizona trip as soon as she learned that summer athletic travel out of the Northwest was not permitted. And she said the trip to Eugene was a mistake for which she accepted responsibility. The district said Blair changed her story about her involvement in the Arizona tournament when she was confronted with differing accounts.

"I've had two violations in 11 years. That's it," said Blair, who compiled a 255-39 record at Meadowdale, including state championships in 2000 and 2004. Blair was recently hired as coach for the Ballard High girls basketball team.

Blair said she didn't know that using players' pictures in advertisements was a violation of WIAA rules. And she said the school bore some responsibility for oversight of athletic guidelines. Each high school in the Edmonds District has its own athletic director who supervises the coaches.

"Ultimately, I'm responsible for the program, but I didn't know about the advertisement rule, and neither did any of the other [Meadowdale] coaches," she said. "Shouldn't the building athletic director have noticed it? They're supposed to approve any school publications."

The documents released by the school district show that two sets of parents, the first in May 2004 and the second in March 2005, complained about Blair's treatment of players, citing what they called "emotional abuse" and excessive control of girls' private lives.

In each case, the district investigated the allegations. Administrators' notes and e-mails indicated that both sets of parents vowed to have Blair removed as coach. One parent was upset about her daughter's lack of advancement on the team. Another said Blair had frustrated their daughter's attempt to earn a college scholarship. Documents also show that Blair was frustrated by the length of the investigations and their lack of resolution. The May 2004 complaint was not completed until October. The March 2005 complaint had not been completed when Blair resigned.

"The district has to take some responsibility for this," said Nick Greenwell, an assistant to Blair from 1994 to 1998 and now coach at Tumwater High School in Thurston County. "I don't think it has to be a four- to five-month process."

On May 17, McMahan met with District Superintendent Nick Brossoit and Assistant Superintendent Ken Limon about the ongoing investigation. Her notes from the meeting say that while she believed Blair could improve her communication with parents, she felt that the recent complaint had more to do with a player "who did not realize her and/or her mother's dream of being a full-time varsity player at this point in her young career."

In the wake of Blair's resignation, some coaches and parents criticized the district for its lack of a policy regarding parents' complaints. The public records contain notes by McMahan indicating that neither set of parents had talked directly to Blair before bringing their issues to the district.

Edmonds officials have said they generally direct parents to lodge complaints first with the coach, and if they are not satisfied, to move next to the school athletic director or principal. But McMahan said because parents were raising potential violations of state and district athletic policy, as well as accusations of emotional abuse, it was appropriate for the district to investigate, rather than referring parents back to the coach.

Lynn Thompson: lthompson@seattletimes.com or 425-745-7807