Parents tell David Douglas board coaches used abusive language and players were left behind on trips

Multiple parents urged action from the David Douglas School Board on Sept. 11, saying high school football coaches used abusive language and that district transportation procedures left players behind during away games.

Valerie O'Brien, a parent and alumnus, said an assistant coach confronted and "verbally assaulted" her husband after her son scored his first touchdown at a jamboree, and that the episode left her seven-year-old child upset. "I had to remove them from the situation because I didn't know if that person who was almost chest bumping him was going to get physical," she said. O'Brien said she left a message for the athletic director on Aug. 29 and received a callback on Sept. 2 but has not felt adequately followed up with.

Maurice Fain said his son suffered a concussion after an incident at a Franklin High School game and that no staff contacted him during or immediately after the game; he said an assistant coach swore at his son and later the student who allegedly struck his son received only a short suspension. "We did take my son to the hospital. When we got there, we found out that my son had a concussion," Fain said. He said the athletic director "pretty much said, I'm busy doing something else" when Fain sought immediate attention at the school.

Other parents described similar concerns. Tish Hayes, whose sophomore said the bus left him at a Franklin campus, said the student was ultimately transported back to the high school by a teammate and a parent. "My concern is we are out of district," she said, noting the family lives in another district but chose David Douglas and now questions future away trips. Jordan Oliveria, another parent, described being verbally accosted by an assistant coach at a jamboree and raised the prospect of student athletes being left on long trips.

Board members did not take formal action during public comment, and the board's public-comment policy explicitly says the board will not respond during that period. Board members and administrators later discussed the district's complaint protocol during the meeting and described a formal five-step complaint-tracking process that includes an investigation step and a 10-day response target. Administration representatives said complaints that request resolutions are logged and investigated, and that the superintendent's office maintains a tracking sheet for board review.

The meeting record shows parents reported incidents to the athletic director and school administrators. The board's next steps were not decided in the meeting; the district's complaint-tracking presentation invited parents to use the published flowcharts and noted that some complaints may be escalated and, when appropriate, investigated by trained or third-party investigators.