Farmington HS Coach Accused of Inappropriate Behavior

A Farmington High School coach is accused of inappropriate behavior by a parent, but police said no crime has been committed.

"It's my responsibility as her mother to stand behind her."

Niki White said a coach at Farmington High School was fully-clothed and sitting in an ice trough, when he called her daughter into the room and asked her to turn off his tub-water.

"She went around the bathtub and turned off the water, and then he said 'Do you want to get in after me?' and she said 'No,' and he said 'Are you sure?' and she said 'Yes,' and then she skedaddled."

The situation made her daughter feel uncomfortable, so White met with the school principal and vice-principal Friday morning.

"I told them that I appreciated their apologies, but that if they thought that I was going to let my daughter's bravery for speaking up be swept under the rug, they were sorely mistaken."

According to a Farmington Police report, the coach said he told White's daughter the ice water was very cold. He said he then jokingly stated, "You're welcome to get in after I get out." After investigating, police determined no crime had been committed.

"We have seven standards of conduct, and they could be anything from simply belittling or berating a student all the way up to sexual misconduct," said Michael Smith, Chief Investigator for the Professional Licensure Standards Board of the Arkansas Department of Education.

White spoke with Smith on Monday, and is filing a complaint.

"Upon authorization of a complaint, we conduct an investigation based on the ethics complaint," said Smith. He also said a subcommittee will most likely review the case on March 8 and determine whether to launch an investigation.

Farmington Schools Superintendent Bryan Law said this issue is a personnel matter, so he could not comment.