Parents question firing of wrestling coach at Livonia school board meeting
By Gino Vicci
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LIVONIA, Michigan (WWJ) — Weeks before the high school wrestling season is set to begin, the Livonia Public Schools District has fired a wrestling coach.
On Friday, the school board terminated Dave Chiola, who has been with Livonia schools for 24 years. During public comment at a school board meeting on Monday, dozens of Chiola’s supporters demanded answers as to why he was off the job.
“I’ve known coach Chiola for the past 47 years. He’s one of the finest men I’ve ever known” said one Livonia resident.
“If my son was here, he would tell you he wouldn’t have graduated if it weren’t for coach Chiola,” said another parent.
The school board would not go into detail about why Chiola was fired during the meeting.
On Tuesday, the district released this statement to CBS Detroit:
“We employ almost 2,000 staff members in Livonia Public Schools. All personnel decisions are made with integrity and based on a deliberative review of the individual circumstances that are present. Recently, the administration decided to part ways with the coach in question based on a review of the totality of the facts including previous personnel history. While the focus on social media has been on one specific issue, that is a truncated portrayal of the situation. No other specific information will be shared about this employment situation.”
Chiola also spoke during the school board meeting and said he believes a student overheard a private phone conversation he was having with the athletic director and filed a complaint. Chiola said he was fired without due process and addressed comments board members made about his character.
“There’s a quote that says I am not a coach that aligns with our vision and values of the rest of the program. The man that wrote this letter does not know me well enough to make that statement,” he said.
A parent told CBS News Detroit this is not the end of this issue and that they plan to protest Chiola’s firing at the next school board meeting in December.
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