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Dozens of parents and athletes urge changes after complaints about girls wrestling coach; supporters back other coaches
Summary
Public commenters at the June 24 Tehachapi Unified board meeting accused the varsity girls wrestling coach of rough treatment and undermining female coaches; many community members urged rehiring or retention of other coaches and asked the district to investigate the hiring process. The board took no formal action.
Dozens of students, parents and community members addressed the Tehachapi Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 24 over coaching at the high school wrestling program, with multiple female wrestlers describing rough treatment, lack of communication and favoritism under varsity coach Curtis Nelson and others urging the district to retain or rehire coaches Desi and Marcus.
Several students described physical roughness during training and said they felt dismissed when they raised concerns. Jaslyn Ramirez, a student, said coaches "pushed and shoved" her mother and described teammates being made to wrestle above their weight classes to "help him look good." Rosalyn Gray handed the board a written report she said detailed the girls' complaints and asked trustees to review it.
Other students and parents described repeated instances of what they called disrespectful or demeaning comments and inconsistent communication. Belladonna Schmidke, a first-year wrestler, said she has "a learning disability" and that she did not feel the coach provided accommodations; she also said she observed the coach appearing intoxicated at fundraisers.
At the same time, multiple community members, current and former wrestlers and parents spoke in support of coaches Desi (Desi Lovingus in testimony) and Marcus Coates, praising their mentorship and contributions to the program. Marcus Coates described a free summer program and outreach to neighboring communities; parent Marianne Coates warned that poor coaching decisions could cause "a mass exodus of talent" from Tehachapi wrestling. Several speakers said they had formed or joined private clubs, including NoMad Wrestling Club, where they found a more supportive environment.
Trustee Napier said she had discussed concerns about the wrestling coach with the board president and plans to forward requests to the incoming superintendent on July 1; she also said she intends to advocate for an independent review of the decision-making process surrounding reappointment. The board did not place any investigation or personnel action on the June 24 agenda and took no vote.
What happens next: Trustees and parents said they will send documentation and formal requests to Superintendent Brian Bell after his start date; the district did not announce a timeline for any personnel review.
