Volleyball players and their parents made a strong showing at Monday night’s school board meeting, but they could only register a silent protest at the firing of volleyball coach Penny Pemberton. The school board requires submitting agenda items eight days in advance of a meeting, and the firing occurred five days before the meeting.
Pemberton has coached the volleyball teams for five years, with teams from seventh grade through high school. She has served as a volunteer, contributing countless hours each season. That all came to an abrupt end last week, when High School Principal David Gilmore told her she no longer had a place with the team.
In an interview after the board meeting, Pemberton explained some of the circumstances. In a huddle with her players between games last week, the coach became very animated. “I dropped an f-bomb,” she said. Some parents sitting nearby said the coach’s voice did not even carry as far as the bench, but one parent overheard the obscenity and complained.
Pemberton said she would have some procedural protections if she had been a paid coach and teacher, but as a volunteer, she has no recourse to the school’s decision. During the interview, parents and players explained that Pemberton not only donates her time in games and practices, she also organizes fundraising efforts for the teams.
The players also pointed out that the girls on the court were all older kids, who encounter such language routinely in TV, movies, and music. They complained of gender discrimination, and asked if a male coach would lose his job over an accidental profanity.
The incident occurred during a game early last week, and Gilmore called her into his office on Wednesday, Sept. 12, just before volleyball practice began. At a home volleyball match with Decatur on Thursday, some of the players began chanting, “Penny, Penny!” and students in the arena picked up the chant.
When three of the players came into his office the following day, Gilmore told them the chanting was “disrespectful” to the coaches who stepped in to finish the rest of the season. In a telephone interview Tuesday morning, Gilmore acknowledged that he told the students that continued protests could lead to cancelling the rest of the season.
The school replaced Pemberton with Adam Louderback and Ryan Sanchez. They will each receive a $500 coaching stipend. Pemberton was not eligible for the stipend because she was not on staff as a teacher. The players said neither of the new coaches had any experience with volleyball, but Gilmore said he made the best choice he could under the circumstances.
“It was very good of them to step up,” he said. “This is hard on them, and they’re in a difficult situation.”
Gilmore would not comment on the particulars of Pemberton’s firing, and said that although she was not a school employee, he considered this a “personnel issue,” and the school does not typically comment on personnel issues. Gilmore acknowledged that he had heard similar language from coaches during his own high school years, but insisted, “It wasn’t right then, and it’s not right now.” He emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive environment for students and faculty.
“I didn’t want to do this, but I have to do what’s best for our students,” he said.
Pemberton said she encouraged her players to work with their new coaches and finish out the season. The volleyball team had a match scheduled for Tuesday night in Lavaca. On Thursday at 4:30 p.m., the team has a home match against Hackett. The players hope for a big show of support from other students.