The District of Choice

Tami Marler, Director
Public Information
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News Release: Wednesday, November 04, 2009

TPS Completes Investigation into BTW Student Athlete Eligibility 

11/4/2009

Tulsa Public Schools has completed an exhaustive investigation into student athlete eligibility at Booker T. Washington High School. A thorough review of weekly academic standings for participants in all school activities revealed 37 students competed as ineligible athletes in softball, volleyball, cross country and football.

The violations to Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Rule 3, Scholastic Eligibility, will result in the forfeiture of four varsity volleyball matches, including the 2009 Regional Volleyball Championship, as well as a victory against Tahlequah in the state volleyball tournament. Rule 3 infractions will also force the forfeiture of the varsity BTW v. Miami football game.

Among the BTW victories forfeited on October 28 for violations to OSSAA Rule 9, the Hornets would have had to forfeit the varsity football games against Pryor and Hale because of academic eligibility violations. As well, the Hornet softball team previously forfeited three victories that would have been forfeited due to multiple players’ academic ineligibility. A cross country runner was also ruled academically ineligible but no races were impacted in BTW’s favor so no forfeitures were necessary.

Area Superintendent of High Schools Kevin Burr said TPS administrators are also cognizant of the ripple effect such violations have on other OSSAA member schools. “We are aware of our responsibilities to our honorable association with the OSSAA,” said Burr. “Allowing ineligible athletes to participate put BTW at a competitive advantage to other member schools that chose to participate by the guidelines we all agreed to. We have a responsibility to athletes of competing schools as well as our own.”

TPS’s investigation determined the BTW principal, athletic director and assistant athletic director failed to conduct weekly scholastic eligibility checks as required by OSSAA Rule 3, Section 2a, which states: “Scholastic eligibility for students will be checked after three weeks (during the fourth week) of a semester and each succeeding week thereafter. School may choose to run eligibility checks on any day of the week. The period of probation and ineligibility will always begin the Monday following the day eligibility is checked.”

On Wednesday, BTW Principal Michael Johnson requested TPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard grant him an immediate administrative transfer from Booker T. Washington to another site in the district. Ballard accepted Johnson’s request for re‐assignment saying, “I appreciate Mr. Johnson’s reassignment request which is in the best interest of Booker T. Washington. We will move swiftly to appoint an interim principal and we will take great care to attract the highest‐caliber administrator capable of leading this great school into the future.”

Ballard said Johnson requested to take earned vacation leave until the district can determine where his experience and abilities will provide the greatest benefit to students. The superintendent said decisions about Johnson’s reassignment and an interim principal at Booker T. Washington will be announced within a week.

Meantime, Ballard has tapped longtime educator and former BTW principal James Furch to provide leadership at BTW on a temporary, short‐term basis. Furch is currently a co‐principal at McLain High School for Science and Technology. He has also served as the district’s director of high schools, area superintendent and assistant superintendent for student services.

Other changes at BTW include the appointment of Mike Mims, Booker T. Washington graduate and basketball standout, as assistant principal with responsibility over athletics. Mims will replace Geoff Woodson, who has been granted a request for transfer to an assistant principal’s position at Memorial High School. Mims coached Hornet basketball from 1972 to 1982 and served as assistant basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma under Billy Tubbs for 13 years.

Hornet baseball coaches John Potocnik and Jason Doctor were appointed to step in as co‐athletic directors after the removal of Antwain Jimmerson and voluntary resignation of Ioder “Butch” Fisher from all athletic duties. Potocnik has led the BTW baseball program for nearly a dozen years. Doctor has coached alongside Potocnik for nearly two years.

The names of students who were ruled academically ineligible will not be released to the public. Each student athlete will be sanctioned in accordance with OSSAA rules. Once TPS presents its self‐imposed sanctions to the OSSAA, the OSSAA board will be the final arbiter of consequences for BTW teams, athletes or staff members.

View the entire investigation report.

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