Published: 3/7/2020 5:32:41 PM
SOUTH HADLEY — Coaches, family and other members of the South Hadley athletics community expressed concerns at Monday’s School Committee meeting over the firing of a high school basketball coach, which they say occurred without due process or transparency.
Dave Dubuc, former coach of the South Hadley boys varsity basketball team, was removed from his position on Feb. 7, according to a Change.org petition protesting the decision and its handling. The petition had amassed more 1,300 signatures as of Monday.
At the School Committee meeting, colleagues, friends and family of Dubuc also spoke on Dubuc’s firing, which one resident characterized as being “clothed in secrecy.”
During public comment, head cheerleading coach Jill Gagne read a statement saying that coaches are concerned about “a lack of respect and support for coaches,” as well as “a lack of clear policies and procedures that must be followed” in the event of complaints from parents or athletes.
“We were startled and stunned to learn that (Dubuc) had been dismissed,” Gagne told the Gazette after speaking at the well-attended meeting, adding that the decision “seemed abrupt and sudden.” She estimated that 15 to 20 coaches helped to draft the statement, with representation from all sports.
According to Dubuc’s mother, Tracy Dubuc, and his wife, Michelle Dubuc, the school administration did not give Dubuc a reason for his firing, leading community members to speculate about why he was fired.
“Nobody has an understanding,” Tracy Dubuc said, adding that interim Superintendent Diana Bonneville “never gave him a reason.” Dubuc learned he was fired via a phone call, his mother said.
Bonneville declined to comment when contacted by the Gazette last month, stating that she “cannot comment on any personnel issues.”
During the meeting, Michelle Dubuc said that “despite a long history of coaching in the community without incident,” as well as “significant ties to the community and its athletic programs, my husband was terminated without communicated incident or reason.”
Dubuc coached at South Hadley High School for at least eight years, according to his wife.
“This community cannot allow fear to run its athletic programs,” Michelle Dubuc said. “We cannot allow a small group of parents to set the rules. Our coaches should be able to hold kids accountable, challenge them to work harder without fear that athletes and their parents will consider these tactics to be a reason for their termination.”
Attempts to reach Dave Dubuc by phone were unsuccessful.
In the coaches’ statement, Gagne called for school leadership to spend more time getting to know the coaches and their methods; to involve coaches in creating athletic department policies and procedures; to establish a committee comprising coaches, faculty, administrators and parents to oversee parent and player issues; to create an outline detailing how investigations will be conducted and the resulting disciplinary actions; and to restore the athletic director to a full-time position.
Going forward, Tracy Dubuc said she hopes to see the school establish “a proper policy to protect the children, but also to protect the coaches,” and for Bonneville to have a sit-down conversation with her son and others regarding his firing.
School Committee Chairman Kyle Belanger told the audience that Dubuc’s firing does not fall under the jurisdiction of the School Committee, which covers budget and superintendent policy.
Former player Mike O’Neill coached the basketball team following Dubuc’s removal 60 days into the season. The team’s season ended on Feb. 25 after it fell to Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School in the first round of the playoffs.
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