The Hempfield Area school board fired boys varsity basketball coach Bill Swan after a loud and acrimonious, closed-door session during a school board meeting that stretched from Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
Swan's dismissal came after directors met privately for more than an hour. Visitors could hear shouting and cursing in the meeting room as Swan, his wife and three sons waited for the board to reconvene in public after the private executive session.
Swan has been under investigation since basketball season ended. A player's father complained to the board about Swan benching and cursing at the player. The board hired attorney Carl Beard of Altoona to conduct an investigation.
The board would not discuss its reasons for the dismissal, calling it a personnel matter. But board director Tim Miller said the decision was based on a recommendation by athletic director Greg Meisner and a report by Beard.
Joe Scheuremann, president of the Hempfield Area Education Association, said the board acted without the benefit of Beard's report. Miller said the report recommended dismissal.
"Beard's report was received by the board," Miller said afterward. "Ninety-nine percent of it. The remaining one percent came from Meisner."
In addition to Miller, directors voting to fire Swan were Jeff Weber, Gordon Scherff, Randy Stoner and John Henry. Opposed were Sonya Brajdic, Diane Ciabattoni, Robert McDonald and Will Shay.
Swan, who has been head coach for eight seasons, called his firing a "witch hunt."
"This is another sad day for coaching, another sad day in Hempfield. I think once the truth is put out there, the taxpayers will see what an injustice has been done to me," Swan said.
Meisner would not comment on the action, citing personnel policy.
But Swan and Meisner had parting words for each other in the parking lot after the meeting.
"You keep doing what they tell you to do," Swan said.
"You bring it on yourself," Meisner responded.
This is the second time the board has investigated Swan.
Last year, Meisner prepared a 13-page report on Swan, which resulted in the school board ordering him to undergo anger management classes.
Scheuremann said the union will file a grievance over the firing.
"I wish I knew the reason for the firing," Scheuremann said. "I know the players love him. I know the parents love him. Bill Swan is known as a coach who gets the most out of his players.
"This is another case of where the district failed to follow procedures and wrongfully terminated an employee and the taxpayers will get stuck with the bill."
Scheuremann pointed to the wrongful dismissal last year of three custodians and the firings of Swan's predecessor, Tom Traynor, wrestling coach Bob Gordon and football coach Bo Ruffner.
"In every case, the legal proceedings found directors acted improperly and had no grounds for dismissal," he said.
