California superintendent fired for allegedly threatening students who didn’t applaud his daughter

A California superintendent was fired from the school district Tuesday following a school board vote following an investigation into her conduct.

In November, students on the Del Norte High School softball team alleged that Poway Unified School District Superintendent Marian Kim Phelps threatened their graduation privileges because of a perceived slight to the regard for his daughter, who was part of the team.

They addressed the school board at a meeting, alleging that Phelps thought the group didn’t clap loud enough for his daughter, NBC San Diego reported at the time.

After a softball awards banquet last May, students said Phelps called and texted some of them late at night, accusing them of not cheering for his daughter at the ceremony, reported NBC San Diego. Phelps then allegedly threatened to revoke their graduation privileges if they did not apologize to his daughter, the students said.

Coach Tom Peronto said at a school board meeting last year that he alerted the board to Phelps’ “abuse of power” and that his livelihood was threatened as a result.

“Because I had reported these abuses and emails to board members, she then falsely accused me of verbally attacking a board member in the district parking lot, using that as justification for getting fired from my softball coaching job at Del Norte,” Peronto said. said.

School board president Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff said the school board voted Tuesday to terminate Phelps’ contract in a closed session following an investigation launched Nov. 15 and ended April 18. The investigation examined statements from 41 witnesses and numerous documents, which contradicted Phelps’ accounts.

“Based on her conduct, as revealed to the Commission during the investigation, the Commission has lost all confidence in Dr. Phelps’ ability to continue to serve as Superintendent, as well as in her ability to continue to working collaboratively with the Commission as part of the Poway Unified governance team,” O’Connor-Ratcliff said.

No additional details were provided in O’Connor-Ratcliff’s statement, citing laws regarding student and staff privacy.

Phelps did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment from NBC News on Wednesday and a phone number listed for her in public records was disconnected. NBC San Diego previously reported that Phelps denied the allegations against her.

A lawsuit was also filed in San Diego County in connection with the case in November, identifying the student only as Jane Doe. The lawsuit alleges that Phelps “constructed a narrative falsely suggesting” that the student had bullied her daughter and orchestrated a biased internal investigation against the girl.

The suit also alleged that Phelps “unilaterally” perceived an “intense rivalry” between his daughter and other student-athletes on the softball team.

As a result, the girl was banned from extracurricular activities during her senior year, which included playing for the softball team as well as dances, field trips, student clubs, activities and graduation , the lawsuit says. Phelps allegedly gave the student and his parents less than a day to sign an “alternative means of correction contract” agreeing to the discipline.

The girl’s family asked an attorney to raise concerns about the matter, but Phelps reportedly redoubled his efforts, so the girl challenged Phelps’ investigation to the PUSD school board with more than 20 Witness statements refuting Phelps’ claims, according to the suit.

Phelps denied the allegations in a statement to NBC San Diego, saying she “never threatened any student.”

“I would never do it. I’ve never talked to any student about threats of not graduating,” Phelps said. “All of these accusations are completely false and fabricated.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com