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Falsified grades linked to action against PR-B coach
Staff Writer Two Pine River-Backus wrestling coaches were disciplined after officials learned one had falsified the grades of three ineligible students to allow them to participate in wrestling competitions, it was learned Thursday.
PR-B/Pequot Lakes head wrestling coach Doug Lee and his assistant, Dean Murphy, were placed on leave Feb. 1 after a complaint was filed with school district administrators and Randy Schwegel, the athletic director.
PR-B Superintendent Cathy Bettino said Thursday there were three reasons why Lee was disciplined, and one of those disciplinary actions applied to Murphy.
Bettino said Lee falsified the grades of three ineligible students several times to allow them to participate in competitions and he failed to attend or to send a designee to a required Minnesota State High School League meeting to get updated on MSHSL rules.
Lee and Murphy both were disciplined for allowing underage students to practice and compete with junior varsity and varsity wrestling teams after Schwegel ordered them not to.
A letter dated Feb. 13 to Lee from Bettino said not only did Lee violate the specific directive given to him but he also violated the MSHSL Grade Level Eligibility Bylaw 105, which prohibits students in seventh grade or below from participating in high school sports.
Bettino said students who are underage are not covered by the MSHSL's insurance and that could have been a liability to the school district.
Also in the letter, Bettino wrote to Lee, "Equally significant, your unprofessional, dishonest actions constitute a serious breach of trust that school districts place in their employees. Employees owe a duty to students and the school district community to observe the highest standards of personal conduct, particularly in honesty and integrity. Your admitted actions are a serious breach of that duty."
Lee and Murphy were suspended without pay for their actions from Feb. 13 to the end of the wrestling season.
Lee and Murphy did not coach the last three regular season meets, the Section 7-2A team tournament or the individual tournament in February.
Lee's industrial tech teaching position at the high school was not affected. However, he will have a disciplinary letter in his personnel file. Murphy was not employed by the school district.
The coaches have the right to apply for the coaching positions next season. The athletic director will make a recommendation for the positions to the school board for its approval.
Lee could not be reached for comment.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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