Reply to Whitman Teacher and Crew Coach Arrested

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] 
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

[/quote]

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?

[/quote]

Seriously pathetic that you are defending the parents. They chose winning and scholarships over a healthy environment.[/quote]

I'm not defending anything.
I feel guilty every day about this.

But it's false to say that the team kept on an alleged predator--putting all our kids in danger-- because we wanted to win races and get into good colleges.

[/quote]

I'm sorry, but what is fair to say?  "we were all duped by a master manipulator?"  "we're ALL victims here" "we did nothing wrong" "of course we care about kids"

I mean trot out any platitude you like.  I get this is hard, but the facts are very damning here.  Winning = a free pass.  [/quote]

You have mischaracterized what I've said.

No one has asked for a free pass.

It is fair to say that I feel terrible about failing my own child, the other rowers and especially the victims. I will live with it for the rest of my life.

The 2018 ladies’ senior parents sounded the alarm wherever they could. The incoming board members knew about the toxic culture allegations as they were aired publicly at a meeting after the season was over. This was also reported to the Principal by more than one parent - but he was on his way to retirement and feigned this was not school business.

Some parents were interviewed by the HR consultant, and that report was with the board and should have been must watch TV (reading) for any incoming board members. If they chose not to dig into it, then that’s unfortunate they did not exercise due diligence. Only one rower was part of that interview process = again a failure by the board at the time to get a larger sampling of viewpoints.

Many parents of male rowers dismissed this all out of hand - at the time, and it seemed little had changed until the arrest. Some parents dismissed their daughters’ claims of inappropriate comments/language etc.

While the board could not arrest him, it certainly could have cancelled his contract and denied him access to three more years of rowers.

[/quote][/quote]

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