Update: Olympia School District defends coach firing

The Olympia School District is defending its decision to fire a high school basketball coach after a hazing incident at a summer camp.

In a story we first reported last week, the district relieved long time Capital High coach Doug Galloway of his duties after learning several senior players were “hazing” several freshman players by “goosing them” inside a dorm room on campus.

The firing has drawn the ire of numerous parents and students who’ve raced to defend the coach.

But district spokesman Ryan Betz told the Dori Monson Show the coach was fired for failing to put a supervision plan in place while coaches attended a social function away from the camp at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

“And so ultimately, as head coach, he’s responsible for those student athletes while they are at the camp,” Betz said.

The coach reported the incident to police, school officials, and parents.

“Short of a coach being in the room with the kids, I don’t know how we’re supposed to control what kids do behind closed doors,” countered Dori Monson, host and varsity basketball coach at Shorecrest High School.

But Betz countered while the university was supposed to provide some supervision, the responsibility ultimately falls on the coaching staff.

“There needed to be staff from our team there monitoring what was going on and that wasn’t happening and there wasn’t a plan put in place before they left to figure out who was going to supervise the kids.”

Betz says the students involved were also disciplined.

By Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com