Tumwater School District says it didn’t know of former coach’s DUI arrest
By Lisa Pemberton, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In fact, they didn't know anything about the sentence that's linked to a
Yarrington pleaded the DUI down to a reckless driving charge in
"I'm stunned,"
Yarrington, 43, was placed on paid administrative leave
He already has lost his coaching job. In January, Yarrington was informed that his one-year coaching contract would not be renewed by the district.
But he remains on staff as a teacher, pulling an annual salary of
Scouller said the district hadn't checked further into Yarrington's criminal background because from what they knew, his record was clear.
"We had enough information that we were looking for," she said. "I didn't need to look any further."
Had the district known about Yarrington's past, his coaching job application probably wouldn't have gotten very far, she said.
"We would have had serious reservations about hiring him," Scouller said. "And if we did go ahead and decide he was the best candidate, ... he would not have been allowed to drive students. I wouldn't want my kid put in a car with a driver who had a DUI -- at least recently."
She said the district doesn't conduct its own background checks -- it uses a service by the state Office of Superintendent
State law requires a background check no older than two years for new hires, Scouller said.
Yarrington's records from the
"The fingerprint results stay in our system for two years, then drop off -- which is why they need to be renewed," OSPI spokesman
Had the district waited about two weeks or insisted on a fresh background check, they would have learned of Yarrington's legal trouble.
DUI arrests aren't automatic disqualifiers for employment. It depends on the position that's being filled and when it happened, Scouller said. A DUI from 10 or 20 years ago can probably be explained, she said.
"Newer ones we often look at differently, and often the fact is a coach often drives students. We would have had a conversation," she said. "With a high school coach, we probably would have advised (district officials) that (Yarrington) may have not been the best hire since it was so new."
Here's a timeline of Yarrington's history, based on court and school district information acquired by public records requests:
In the report,
Yarrington refuses to take a field sobriety test or a breath sample.
According to Goss' report, Yarrington laughs several times while his paperwork was getting processed at the police station.
"He told me that he thought it was funny," the officer wrote.
Yarrington is cited for DUI, speeding 12 miles over the speed limit and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.
"Although I did not commit the crime charged, I have reviewed the evidence with my attorney and believe there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction on the original charge," Yarrington wrote. "I am pleading guilty to take advantage of the satisfactory offer."
As part of the deal, Yarrington is court ordered to pay
During that time he agrees to law abiding behavior, including no alcohol-related or criminal traffic arrests.
Yarrington spent two seasons as head football coach of
The vehicle that was being driven didn't have an interlock device that's required by the state
In the coaching contract, he agrees to meet coaching standards by the
"We rely strictly on the schools' and the school districts' policies," Laffey said.
House arrests restrict defendants to their homes, although they are allowed to go to work or attend special functions, such as medical appointments, according to a statement on the 2 Watch Monitoring's website, which provided the monitoring service. "Law enforcement officers apply electronic home monitoring whereby the defendants must always wear monitoring ankle bracelets."
Officials won't say why he's under investigation, stating that they can't because it's a personnel issue.
However the issue did not rise to the level where officials felt they needed to contact the police, according to district spokeswoman
Under his direction, Black Hills went 4-5 overall and 2-3 in 2A
"The district would like to thank you for the time and effort you have contributed to this assignment and working with the students of the
Howard recently said Yarrington still is under investigation, and officials have not yet made a decision on the status of his teaching contract. They expect to have a decision by the end of this month.
"We're really close," Howard said. "There are just some time frames that have to be adhered to."
___
(c)2014 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) at www.theolympian.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 1493 |
The test must go on
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News