Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
LARWILL – The Whitko School Board heard from the public during Monday’s board meeting as to why Assistant Athletic Director Scott Krieg should not be fired after a conflict at a basketball game.
Pamela Krieg, wife of Scott Krieg, told the board about how moving her children to Whitko was a great decision for them. She talked about how, after her husband retired from the United States Air Force, he was looking for another way to serve “and found that opportunity at Whitko.” She talked about his work ethic and how much heart and soul he poured into being at Whitko.
“He was the face of Whitko Athletics … he was the person called upon when difficult situations arose at school or athletic events,” said Pamela. “When things became tense or unsafe, he was expected to step in and restore order. After the situation occurred, we learned that there had been documented issues involving the same fans going back more than a year; including the night before…”
Pamela talked about how Scott accepted what he did, but asked, “Where was the training and action plan that Scott was supposed to take?” She asked why none of the leadership stepped in to help or call the authorities, and why no one stepped up during the moment to support him.
“Consider the impact of this decision. You are not just deciding about a moment, but you are deciding about a man who has dedicated his life to serving others and has worked every day to make Whitko safer, stronger and something this community can be proud of,” Pamela stated.
Jess Irons talked about how they have gathered around 270 signatures in support of Scott. She talked about how the most tragic part of this situation is that those who do not know Scott will have a “tainted view of the kind of man he is, and the kind of character he exhibits.”
She brought up how Scott was stern when needed and alleged Whitko failed to give the team an officer after they knew the audience at this game had prior issues, having another authority member step in and help with de-escalation and left him to fend for himself against three other individuals. She asked the board to give him grace in a complex situation and “to grant him grace and understanding in what was an impossible scenario.”
Jesse Irons asked Superintendent Dr. Amy Korus what the protocol was when it comes to aggressive spectators, and why there were no officers present at the event. Jesse noted that it seemed like the board was shifting blame and asked the board if that was how they wanted their students to look at situations like this in the future.
“By failing to provide that security, you forced an employee into a high conflict situation without any professional support. Accountability works in both ways…” stated Jesse. “Punishing Scott doesn’t fix your liability…”
David Korus, Amy’s husband, stated that he could not expect to be up there without bias, but did not want to speak on specifics. He talked about Amy’s leadership and how she saw potential within the Whitko school district to be a leader among rural districts. He stated that this has been her goal, and that her standard is academic excellence and modeling appropriate behavior at all school events.
The board, looking at the statements made, and further information given to them by Jesse, Board Member Micah Cokl made the motion to suspend Scott for two weeks, unpaid, and have him go through de-escalation training. This motion failed with a 2-3 vote.
Upon looking at it again, Board Member Deb Thomas motioned to have Scott terminated as assistant athletic director, which passed in a 3-2 vote.
