Columbia High School Replaces Baseball Coaches After ‘Bullying’ Allegations

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Whether their past leaders were “bullies” or not, Columbia High School’s varsity baseball team will likely have new coaches for the 2017-18 season.

During a public meeting earlier this month, the South Orange-Maplewood School District approved the hiring of a new head baseball coach, James Whalen, effectively marking the end of service for former head coach Joseph Fischetti and assistant coach Matthew Becht.

Fischetti and Becht had previously come under fire from local parents and former players at the school who accused coaches and school administrators of creating a “culture of discriminatory conduct including harassment, intimidation, bullying and retaliation.”

Watch video from the Nov. 16 meeting here.

• See related article: N.J. Student: My High School Baseball Coaches Were 'Bullies'

According to a lawsuit from a former player at Columbia High School:

• Coaches allegedly made repeated “lewd, racist and vulgar” comments to him and other players, including alleged racial slurs and negative comments about homosexuality
• “Despite knowledge of the inappropriate conduct, the [Board of Education] permitted the unlawful action to continue”

The lawsuit also claims that after the student began to raise concerns about a possible bullying culture, coaches began to retaliate against him by leaving him out of team events and workouts, intimidating him during a locker room meeting and eventually cutting him from the team during his senior year.

One of the alleged “bullying” incidents involved a sign in the locker room that read: “Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players. Winners assemble as a team and find ways to win.”

Board of Education President Elizabeth Baker told The Village Green that while there are “deep feelings on many sides,” she was heartened that “all stakeholders are committed to a creating a positive climate for the team.”

However, Fischetti and Becht’s attorney stated that the two coaches were “upset and disappointed” by the board’s decision, which he labeled a mishandling of the HIB law and a case of “catering to a couple of parents.”

Several parents have previously spoken in support of the coaching staff; a video of their comments during a public board meeting can be seen here.

The Village Green reported that during a February board meeting, parent comments in support of the coaching staff included:

• “Getting rid of these coaches will destroy the Cougar baseball brand”
• “[These coaches] taught us how to become men”
• “Coaches sometimes raise their voices and use salty language”
• “You can’t coddle your child”

Read the full report here.

Whalen, the school’s new coach, is a middle school physical education teacher in Denville and a baseball coach at West Essex High School.

Photo: Flickr Commons, Andrew Malone

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