The story so far
Gwinnett County school police began an investigation after reports of “inappropriate behavior” by some members the “Panthers Summer Baseball Team” — a travel squad with many Parkview High players, but which is run by the parent-led Parkview Dugout Club, on June 5 in a South Carolina hotel room in, after a tournament.
A North Charleston police spokesman said Monday no charges had been filed because “We still have not been contacted by any parents of the victims with regards to filing a report with us for an investigation to be conducted.”
The Gwinnett investigation led to the suspension of six students from a semester to a full school year. Lawyers for some parents went to court to block the suspensions, saying the school system has no jurisdiction. Gwinnett says the trip was a school-related function.
The parents’ request for an injunction was denied. One attorney said accused students will continue to fight the suspensions, but he wasn’t sure of the next step.
Members of Georgia’s top high school baseball team accused of sexually assaulting younger teammates have been slapped with hefty suspensions likely to affect the team’s standing and players’ scholarship hopes.
The acts they’re accused of didn’t take place at school or during the school year, and no charges were filed by police in South Carolina where it allegedly occurred. But six Parkview High School players each received either a semester or year-long suspension at a recent school district hearing.
In a case that touches upon the boundaries of schools’ authority and the rights of those accused of wrongdoing but not charged, parents of five of the suspended asked a court to block the school action. A judge denied their request for an injunction.
Their parents argue the school system doesn’t have the authority to impose the disciplinary action because it took place at an out-of-school tournament. The school system says it does because the trip was school-related.
The suspensions stem from a June 5 incident in a hotel room in North Charleston, S.C., where several upperclassman team members are accused of “wrestling” with and sexually assaulting younger players, according to an incident report by the Gwinnett County school system’s police department. The report named a 17-year-old, 16-year-old and four 15-year-olds as suspects. It lists four victims — three 14-year-olds and one 13-year-old.
Team coaches were alerted while checking on players the same night at the hotel. One coach reported the allegations to Parkview’s athletic director and other administrators, according to police.
Gwinnett school police forwarded their investigation report to the North Charleston Police Department. Spokesman Spencer Pryor said Monday no criminal charges have been filed. “We still have not been contacted by any parents of the victims with regards to filing a report with us for an investigation to be conducted,” he said.
The school system handed down the suspensions for the accused players on Friday, according to William Carlisle, an attorney representing one of the students. It was unclear why the suspension terms varied for different players.
The team is referred to as “The Panthers Summer Baseball Team” in the injunction document, which states the team is not affiliated in any way with Parkview High School, its reigning state championship baseball team, Gwinnett County schools or the Georgia High School Athletic Association. Neither was the tournament they were playing in, the injunction said.
The parents’ lawsuit claims that “many” of the alleged victims have never played baseball at or attended Parkview High. While it concedes that the initial disciplinary referral was made by a Parkview High School coach who was “present at the tournament,” it says that no high school coaches act in that capacity for the travel team.
One of the players named in the injunction is listed on Parkview High School’s 2015 varsity baseball roster and the other four are listed on the junior varsity roster, but their attorneys argue the incident took place during a team trip that was not a school-related function.
Gwinnett schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said in an emailed statement that the matter is “very clear.”
“This was a school-related function … it was a Parkview High School summer baseball program and all of the students were Parkview High School students at the time.”
The incident comes at a time when school systems across the country are grappling with whether to punish students for incidents that occur outside school boundaries, such as online bullying among students on social media.
In this instance, it appears Gwinnett schools abided by the law, according to Maya Dillard-Smith, executive director of the ACLU for Georgia.
“We believe student safety is absolutely paramount, but when we begin to talk about expulsion and suspension … students do have a due process right. And it appears due process right has been adhered to here, if a hearing has in fact been held.”
“So there’s this balancing of the due process right and the safety considerations at the school. And it appears the school under the Georgia code has disciplinary authority, even for off-school conduct.”
If upheld, the suspensions could significantly affect Parkview High’s baseball team’s performance and could derail scholarship prospects for accused players. The team is Georgia’s reigning state champion, and earlier this summer, high school sports website MaxPreps dubbed it the No. 1 team in the country.
Ray Lail, an attorney representing two of the suspended players and their parents, said his clients were “weighing their options at this time.”
Carlisle said his clients will continue to fight the suspensions, though he was unsure what the next step will be.
“At this point,” Carlisle said, “it may be less about trying to get them back into school and more about seeking compensation for the wrongs that have been committed.”
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