Bandera ISD 'compromise' incites cheerleading brawl

By Stephanie Parker

When the Bandera County Courier carried a story about the Tuesday, May 12, Bandera Independent School Board of Trustees meeting, the focus of the story was that out of 11 BISD taxpayers who signed up at the meeting to speak, only four were allowed to voice their complaints.

The Courier also noted that the parents were divided on action taken by district administrators to field another team of cheerleaders. The action allowed three students who had been disciplined for harassing another student to tryout for a third team. The school’s cheerleading constitution provides for three teams, but school administration had only fielded two teams last year.

What the Courier did not cover – since it was not directly substantiated by either BISD administration or law enforcement – was the action of three students who allegedly broke into another student’s locker. One of the three reportedly filled a sock with her feces and smeared it on the inside of the vandalized locker, ruining the clothes and contents of the locker.

Had the incident been handled by law enforcement, the students engaging in the vandalism could have been charged with Class B misdemeanors and sentenced to jail time, a fine and restitution for the ruined belongings.

However, BISD administration handled the incident. The students were given 10 days of in-school suspension and were ejected from the cheerleading squad for the remainder of the year.

Both students, and the parents of those students who participate in cheerleading, must read and sign BISD’s cheerleading constitution that states that if a student has been ejected from the squad, that student cannot tryout for next year’s team. Had the story ended there, this story would have ended with last week’s edition of the Courier.

BISD Superintendent Dr. Kevin Dyes found that the four students who replaced the three suspended cheerleaders also had behavior-related infractions in their student records. So he engineered a compromise that appears to have caused nearly everyone consternation.

Dyes decided to field the third cheerleading team and allow the disciplined students to tryout for that team. He called the compromise an attempt to treat all students fairly; however, adult and student supporters of the wronged student maintain that it weakens leadership and violates the cheerleading constitution.

The Courier sent Com­munications Director Brad Domitrovich the following questions on Friday, May 22 and received the following reply.

To Domitrovich: “(The Courier is receiving) a lot of letters to the editor about the cheerleaders and complaints that we did not cover the story fully. What was the exact charge for which the students were punished? Was there any proof of their guilt? Have any changes been made since the school board meeting?”

From Domitrovich: “I am sure you understand that any discipline issues regarding students are confidential from the school district standpoint and would be a violation of the FERPA law for me to disclose. Parents and community members can express their opinions however they want to the newspaper, but we cannot.

Regarding the decision you ask about - there was never any decision made regarding cheerleading at the board meeting. Public forum comments and complaints may not be acted on by the board members at that meeting. If you are referring to the meeting that Dr. Dyes had with the parents after the board meeting, it was a discussion and no action was taken as a result of that meeting.

Hope this helps.”
So, to readers of the Courier, perhaps Domitrovich’s email clarifies the situation fully.