County Meetings - July 2007
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Miami Northwestern football coaches get the ax

Miami Northwestern Senior High School better known as "The West", has been the center of community discord for the last few days. A consensual but illegal sex act of a 14 year-old female student by star football player, Antwain Easterling, has been the impetus for the discord. Miami Northwestern alumni, students and community supporters were alerted to Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew's contemplation of suspending the football program. What happened next was a perfect example of what's right and what's wrong in society.

Without succumbing to obstacles of a lack of financial resources and limited time, hundreds of Miami Northwestern alumni mobilized to attend yesterday's school board meeting. Superintendent Crew wisely said the program would continue however his stipulation that the football program is on probation for a year and that the current coaching staff is fired was received with mixed emotions --- current football players walked out. Crew also said the players should be required to maintain a 2.5 GPA, not the current 2.0 to participate in the athletic program.

The fallout from the superintendent's decision is interesting. Superintendent Crew is either praised or vilified for his resolution to the Northwestern situation. Read the comments over on the Miami Herald site.

The imbalance in the athletic program overshadowing the football program is definitely not unique to Northwestern; it is a reflection of our society. Our children need to be re-claimed and there will be some collateral damage along the way. Unfortunately, that is the reality of effecting change. Someone will always be dissatisfied in situations such as this.

It's also important to remember that the investigation of the Miami Northwestern sex scandal issue is not closed. The grand jury report was released and former principal Dwight Bernard was arrested but it's not over. Allegedly, athletic director Gregory Killings was forced to resign and now the football coaching staff gets the ax. Anyone who's seen the infamous documentary, Year of the Bull, will wonder why disciplinary action wasn't taken earlier.

Sadly, it takes controversial issues such as this to force Miami Northwestern alumni, parents and students to take appropriate action. Such response, in large numbers, must be the norm for Miami Northwestern. Folks that say they love the school must be proactive. Folks who claim to love those students must remember that love is an action word.

 

What folks in other parts of the U.S. are saying…

Miami school wins on field, ethical bearings off it

At Miami Northwestern: Season saved, but coaches axed

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