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Smyrna student and father tell Rutherford County board coach shared confidential records and fueled bullying
Summary
A Smyrna High School student and his father told the Rutherford County School Board that an assistant coach, Donnie Richardson, shared information from a confidential court order, that school officials failed to act, and that scoring records were falsified; the board acknowledged the complaints and discussed district anti-bullying efforts but took no formal disciplinary action during the meeting.
Terry Laderman and his son, Eric Martin, told the Rutherford County School Board during public comment that a Smyrna High School assistant coach, Donnie Richardson, used material from a confidential court order and distributed it to unauthorized people and that school officials did not adequately address ongoing bullying.
"Not only is that a violation of a court order, it's also a violation of HIPAA and FERPA," Terry Laderman told the board, alleging the coach shared confidential information beyond authorized recipients. Laderman said the family has repeatedly raised complaints over 16 months and questioned why Richardson — described in the public comments as a nonfaculty assistant coach without employment status in Rutherford schools — had broad control of the bowling program.
His son, Eric Martin, who identified himself as a Smyrna High School student, described persistent harassment and said school staff warned him not to speak about problems if he wanted to remain on the team. "I was repeatedly demeaned, called names, and told to kill myself before by teammates," Martin said, and later accused the coach of "falsified scoring records for 2 bowlers resulting in a recognition for his favorite bowler" and the denial of recognition for Martin.
Martin said the alleged falsification followed a season in which he performed strongly and that the program’s environment was "toxic, corrupt, and not right." Both speakers requested that the board and administrators take swift, appropriate action to change the bowling program’s culture.
Board members acknowledged the seriousness of the comments during later general discussion. Rosales (reciting district steps) told the board she wanted to "bring something up because it was something that was said during the public comments" and urged reinforcement of district anti-bullying efforts. The director’s remarks during the meeting noted district procedures are in place; no disciplinary decision or formal board directive was recorded on the matter during the session.
The district did not announce any immediate personnel action at the meeting. The speakers asked the board to consider additional transparency and oversight of underrepresented sports records; Laderman suggested a centralized records page on the district domain to host statistics for programs not covered elsewhere.
What happens next: board discussion affirmed the district takes bullying seriously and that staff will continue to address concerns raised in the public comment period. The meeting record does not show a formal motion or vote to open an internal investigation during this session.
