Aren't Dims just the best?
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We don't support this either. Also is this all you say on these threads?
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Yeah, so according to the article he was dismissed for harassing the kid, not for writing the letter. He's right on the principle of the issue, but if this is really the way he went about his business this spring he's a bully and an embarrassment to the coaching profession.
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This is a great issue to fight about but this is NOT even close to why he was really fired/not asked to coach again.
The poster from Salem was pretty accurate about his petty issues and they all came up again at LO in similar forms. This issue is great for him to die on, cause people can rally around it and make him a victim. People think he was fighting for his athlete's, but nothing is further from the truth. The truth is he let his athlete's, down and should not be welcome at any program again.
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One thing to note is the fact that he coaches in one district and teaches in another. Pretty easy for LO to say thanks, but we are going in a different direction under those circumstances. Even more so if there are qualified replacements who work in building/district.
Obviously not the only factor pointed out so far.
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Keep Trying wrote:
how long before the "real" story comes about about this creep. he seems very focused on teenage girls
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TMOX1968 wrote:
Keep Trying wrote:
. However, in the spirit of fairness, we should have a way to ensure that competitions, regardless of the limited examples where this has occurred, do not allow someone who identifies as a female but is for all other indicators a physiological male to race against physiological females (i.e. not following the international standards established to address this). I thought the idea of having an open category to be a good one and also avoids the cruelty and booing by enraged spectators that happened in Lake Oswego.
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I bet you also think separate but equal was a great idea for the blacks
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Sonnys wrote:
Aren't Dims just the best?
Definitely. What sane person thinks an adult harassing a kid is sane?
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Pppppppp wrote:
Sonnys wrote:
Aren't Dims just the best?
Definitely. What sane person thinks an adult harassing a kid is sane?
A public school firing someone for expressing an opinion on a matter of public concern would likely be a violation of the First Amendment. A public school firing an employee for harassing a kid at another school because he disagrees with something the kid did is totally justifiable.
Parks is defending himself through the motte-and-bailey fallacy, conflating what is likely the actual reason he got fired (harassing a kid, and not so easy to defend) with his modest and reasonable action in writing a letter protested males being including in girls' competitions (easy to defend, reasonable).
I agree that boys shouldn't be in the girls races. But even if your state has a dumb rule, you can't be a jerk to a high school kid and keep your job.91 -
Always fun to watch letsrun children scream about an issue in the absence of fact or evidence. So, let's do a likely scenario. Yes, coach has free speech rights. He can say what he wants on his own time. But, perhaps maybe, he sent those letters on a school letterhead. That would be, in any school or college or university in the US, a firing offense because the coach does not speak for the administration but using the official letterhead suggests he is doing just that. That is one likely scenario. And if he harassed the athlete, that is immediate firing. So, are you all stupid enough to really believe he got fired just for expressing himself or are you just being the children you are and filtering his situation through your own cognitive biases and filter bubbles?
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Socialists have taken over school districts across the country and much worst in democrat states. You don't play along with their DEI lies and you get canned.
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Trump #1 wrote:
Socialists have taken over school districts across the country and much worst in democrat states. You don't play along with their DEI lies and you get canned.
Please be a bot. Socialism is a good idea, but it's not taking over. Social Security and Medicare are socialism, which is why the GOP wants to get rid of them. Over-accommodation, over-PC, over-wokeism? Yes, it happens occasionally and it's not good when it does. But that is not what socialism means. And before, all we ever had was under-accommodation aka bigotry and good ol' boys, which was worse and is still the case most places most of the time.
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Ruxton Towers XC wrote:
Lake Oswego track coach dismissed, citing Portland Schools complaint of his response to transgender athlete inclusion
Haskins also claimed that Parks was “riling up” tournament spectators who booed and jeered at the state meet as the transgender athlete competed and received her medals. Haskins alleged that Parks spoke negatively with the transgender student-athlete during her medal presentation. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Oregonian that Parks’ remark to the student athlete was: “It will never be a fair race if you’re in it.”
Haskins' reading of the situation is completely out of touch.
A big issue is that what Parks said about fairness is not wrong, the races won't be fair if they're in it. Someone of significance has to say it out loud for the athlete and their supporters to hear loud and clear. I suppose an argument could be made that it was in poor taste when Parks said it to the athlete but at some point people are going to see that the current course of action, inaction, is not working. Parents and coaches who push for fairness in sport have just as much right to their opinions as the trans proponents and don't deserve to be silenced...warts and all.
Is he really attempting to pin the fairness in sport movement as Parks' own personal agenda? That's a stretch. Also, he's trying to blame the booing by the spectators on Parks because he was riling folks up? Believe it or not, they would have booed regardless of what Parks' did.
Those assertions either comes from living in a bubble, lack of critical thinking ability, or desperately searching for a scapegoat.
Hopefully it's the later and it's not surprising that he did what he did. It will come at a cost to the school district in legal fees and settlement costs - anything to avoid the issue at hand.
If these school administrators can just keep firing people for expressing their concerns maybe they can keep kicking the can down the road and avoid for whom the bell will be tolling for next.
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Running UberNerd wrote:
Pppppppp wrote:
Definitely. What sane person thinks an adult harassing a kid is sane
I agree that boys shouldn't be in the girls races. But even if your state has a dumb rule, you can't be a jerk to a high school kid and keep your job.
Yeah, well that kid and anyone that supports dudes trying to look pretty in girls competition are jerks for taking what's rightfully theirs. Supporting mental dysphoria certainly doesnt help that individual.
That coach may appear to be a jerk to all of those who support stealing opportunities from girls but those girls who didnt clap for him dont see it that way. They probably had a little relief that the whole world hasnt gone mad and someone has the guts to take their side instead of being spineless legion for the Spirit of the Age. Those are the jerks! Good for him. I dont think he cares 2 corny turd$ about getting fired for what he did for girls sports either. Leaders have to stand up and lead through sacrifice. All those who have the same beliefs but just sit back and watch are just as guilty. Im SO GLAD WA said NO!
This post was edited 6 minutes after it was posted.25 -
Ruxton Towers XC wrote:
The coach is well known for his energy, knowledge, and commitment to the sport. But nobody is perfect.
If he was in this kid's face all season (at multiple meets), that is not okay. You don't change the law by going after the kid.
If we all agree that the law needs to be changed, fine. But we do that by sitting down with OSAA and the other adults and changing it. Not by cornering a teenager and "giving them a piece of your mind."
BTW, it looks like the facts are starting to come out. Here is the full article since it is normally behind a paywall:
Lake Oswego track coach dismissed, citing Portland Schools complaint of his response to transgender athlete inclusion
A Lake Oswego High School coach says he has been fired from his position over allegations that he antagonized a transgender student-athlete who competed in Oregon’s track and field state championships and rallied coaches and families to protest her participation.John Parks, who was cross country and track and field coach at Lake Oswego High, reached out to Oregon media outlets on Monday, stating that he had been dismissed after the school district conducted an investigation that was started by a formal complaint sent in by Portland Public Schools Athletic Director Marshall Haskins.
“The basic cause of my dismissal is fighting for females right to compete in sports fairly,” Parks wrote in an email. “I know you are fully aware of the debates on this issue and let me say I had 2 transgender athletes on my team this spring and I support them like all other athletes and only seek a solution that is a win for all as we don’t need any athletes subjected to what happened last month. Instead of a fair and measured investigation I was a victim of my passion for coaching, helping female athletes.”
The dismissal comes just weeks after a transgender girl athlete competed in the Oregon high school state track and field championships, finishing second in the 400-meter dash and winning the 200. Although the athlete was in compliance with OSAA rules, the results became a flashpoint in the debate over transgender athletes’ rights in Oregon and elsewhere.
According to Kristin Binkley, Parks’ attorney, the reason that Parks was given for his dismissal was a violation of school district policy when he sent a letter to the OSAA on May 15 (days before the state championship meet) asking that the state association change its rules, which allow transgender student-athletes to compete in the activity that aligns with their gender identity.
In his letter, Parks notes that the transgender student-athlete was favored to win the 200-meter dash in Class 6A (which she did) and would be strong competition for the 400-meter dash (which was being defended by a two-time state champion who currently holds the state record in the event and was coached by Parks). Parks added that, based on her current trajectory, the transgender student-athlete would be on pace to break the state records in the 200 and 400 in the coming years since she was just a sophomore in the 2024 season.
“Allowing this travesty to be carried out is making a complete mockery of the meet this weekend and in the future until the rules are altered to protect natural born females,” he wrote in the letter to the OSAA. The Oregonian/OregonLive is not naming the student-athlete to protect her privacy.
Parks’ letter to the OSAA asked that the OSAA create an “open” category that put transgender student athletes in a separate competition in the state meet, similar to the way the OSAA runs competitions for athletes with disabilities.
“The OSAA already has state meet events for para-athletes in wheelchair and Unified competition. The solution to trans athletes is to have an open category like a gender neutral bathroom,” Parks wrote. “Allows competition opportunities but doesn’t make a mockery of the reason females compete in their own category.”
Parks also cited that USA Track & Field requires transgender athletes complete certain benchmarks before competing against opponents that match their gender identity. The World Athletics Council does not allow transgender women to compete against female athletes.
The OSAA’s policy is created through the guidelines that are set by the Oregon Department of Education and the federal government. The policies are made by the OSAA’s executive board, which includes representatives from Oregon schools around the state.
Parks and Binkley both claimed that Parks’ letter to the OSAA had the approval of Lake Oswego Athletic Director Chris Coleman even though it was cited among the reasons for his dismissal. Coleman did not respond to a request for inquiry from The Oregonian. A Lake Oswego School District representative stated that coaches are hired on one-year contracts and the district would not comment on a personnel matter.
Haskins sent a letter to the Lake Oswego School District and Salem-Keizer School District, where Parks is a teacher according to his LinkedIn, on May 24 claiming that Parks made the Portland transgender student-athlete feel “unwelcome and discriminated against” throughout the spring.
“I was appalled, disappointed and embarrassed for Lake Oswego and Salem Keizer School districts because of the behavior of one of your employees,” Haskins’ email to the school districts reads. The athlete attends McDaniel High School, which is part of Portland Public Schools. It is not clear how Haskins heard about the remarks or Parks’ advocacy.
Haskins claimed that Parks contacted other coaches and parents from around the state, asking them to reach out to the OSAA demanding they bar the transgender athlete from the female competition. He also asked coaches to boycott the medal presentations, Haskins said. The letter from Haskins also claims that Parks was contacting families and student-athletes before the state meet “forcing them to participate in his personal agenda.”
Haskins also claimed that Parks was “riling up” tournament spectators who booed and jeered at the state meet as the transgender athlete competed and received her medals. Haskins alleged that Parks spoke negatively with the transgender student-athlete during her medal presentation. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Oregonian that Parks’ remark to the student athlete was: “It will never be a fair race if you’re in it.” The Oregonian was not able to verify with the athlete Tuesday about what was said during the presentation. Parks did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on that allegation.
Parks said that the investigation from Lake Oswego School District found Haskins’ letter to the district to be “hearsay and erroneous.” Parks has been the head track and field coach at Lake Oswego High School since the 2022-23 school year. In that time, the Lakers’ girls team has won the state championship (or tied for first) for three straight seasons. Parks has been a sprints coach at the professional and Olympic level for 20 years even prior to working at Lake Oswego. He coached previously at Auburn, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Oregon State (both in football, and in track and field), Portland State and Willamette University.
The source for this article isn't cited, but it's from Oregonlive, the Portland paper. It's paywalled, but here is a link
So it looks like I was correct when I said that there was more to the story. These actions track (no pun intended) with everything I observed first-hand back in high school. Looks like I'm more than just a butt hurt JV athlete (or whatever the poster called me) after all!
People can argue whether the policy is correct or not and if Parks was right or wrong for challenging the rule with the OSAA, but the fact of the matter is he crossed a line by singling out and targeting a specific individual 15/16 student for exclusion and harassment. Protesting the policy and taking it up/butting heads against the governing body is one thing, but he was taking the additional step of going out of his way to go after A 15/16 YEAR OLD CHILD. This is absolutely unconscionable for any employee of a school (who is responsible for the welfare of students), let alone A TEACHER himself.We can debate whether the rule is just or not all day, but you cannot justify a school employee harassing A CHILD who, whether you like it or not, is not breaking any rules. I wouldn't be surprised if this costs him his teaching job down in Salem.
Another fun John Parks story: He once entered a group of his girls into a college meet, but showed up late and his athletes missed their race. Just as the men's race was lining up, he threw a massive tantrum at the race director and somehow got them to run an additional heat of the women's 5k just for his athletes, calling the men off the track and delaying their race for a half hour.84 -
* 15/16 year old student. My apologies.
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Trump #1 wrote:
Socialists have taken over school districts across the country and much worst in democrat states. You don't play along with their DEI lies and you get canned.
So you are in favor of child abuse? Is that now a core conservative view?
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Another point that just occurred to me - if was contacting other coaches/meet directors to get them to violate OSAA rules, that also seems like a fireable offense to me.
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Trump #1 wrote:
Socialists have taken over school districts across the country and much worst in democrat states. You don't play along with their DEI lies and you get canned.
But that is not why he got fired. I think most people in the area ("Dims" included) agree that we need a better solution than the one in place.
The reason his contract was not renewed is because he decided to "address the issue" with the teenager face-to-face throughout the season. Sorry, but that is not the way it works in our school system.
If you don't like a policy, you have every right to complain to the adults who make that policy. You can reach out, protest, go to a school board meeting, write the OEA, write the ODE, but you can't get in a kids face while they are literally on the podium in front of thousands of people. That is the wrong time and place.
We all agree that facts matter in situations like this and the fact is that he was not let go because he "wrote letters to the ODE." That is not the reason. Getting in a kids face (multiple times) is the reason.
And I say this as a person who is impressed with Parks' success and knowledge of the sport. I am not a hater. But man, you have to keep it professional...
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Was this the guy who coached Mia Brahe-Peterson?
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