Hearings at Lisbon High School Weeks After Wrestling Discipline Concerns

By Chris Earl, Reporter

Tools

By Ian Philbrick

Story Created: Jan 20, 2012 at 11:28 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jan 21, 2012 at 2:55 PM CDT

LISBON, Iowa- A long Friday night for board members of the Lisbon Community School District, even as a snowstorm left the school devoid of the typical athletic activities on a Friday night during the school year.

The School Board held two separate sessions, described in a memo placed on the superintendent’s office to “conduct hearings to suspend or expel a student”. Initially, three hearings had been scheduled for the afternoon and evening but Superintendent Brad Lauers said Friday that the board would only execute two hearings.

Lauers would not comment on the subject nor the content of the Friday discipline hearings. About 15 people attended the first hearing at 6:30, including board members. Lauers said the groups requested a “closed session”, which was granted. In the recess after the hour-long meeting, casual conversation about wrestling-related topics was heard in the hallway between the parties.

Friday’s sessions come weeks after the first public concerns of disciplinary action on the state-ranked Lisbon wrestling team. Before the Christmas break, the team canceled practices and did not wrestle in a meet with Maquoketa Valley. In the Lions’ return to the mat, two of the team’s top wrestlers were absent for the meet at Durant. At that time, head coach Jamie Kimberling would not elaborate on any disciplinary action within the program.

Also, in recent weeks, more reports of assault or bullying on high school wrestling teams across the state, with students facing charges in Greenfield, Gilbert and Sioux City.

Since the news broke that Lisbon was canceling practices in December, two parents have come forward, anonymously, saying their sons were victims of bullying by senior members of the wrestling team. One of the parents said, Friday evening, that he “was going to wait until the DCI finished their work” before commenting any further. Weeks before, that parent said his son was held down in a locker room, urinated on and had genitalia put in his face.

As the Linn County Attorney’s Office is considering simple assault charges on at least three of the teenagers involved, no charges have been announced in the case. Reached by text message on Friday night, Lisbon Police Chief Rick Scott said “nothing new” when asked if any new elements in the investigation had risen.