T.C. Williams Fired Basketball Coach: 'No Right to Appeal' Decision by Alexandria City Public Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- School officials who met with parents Wednesday night upset about the abrupt firing of basketball Coach Bryan Hill at T.C. Williams High School told them Thursday that Hill has "no right to appeal" their decision.

The information was conveyed in an email to parents from the athletic director:

As promised last night, Dr. Dingle inquired with the human resource department as to the right an individual or group has to appeal a decision made by the Alexandria School System to remove a person from a stipend position. He was informed by the Director of Human Resources that these are one year appointments and that there is no appeal process on a decision to remove an individual from a stipend position.

The officials told the parents that since it was a "personnel matter," they couldn't tell them why Hill was let go one week before try-outs for the high school's varsity basketball team.

The parents, who are angry and upset about Hill being let go just before the start of the season, asked the officials if Hill had harmed any of the students and when the officials wouldn't say, they asked students who were also gathered in the classroom Wednesday night, at T.C. Williams and they said "no," two parents who attended the meeting said Thursday.

Hill told Patch he was told he was being let go because he gave a student a ride home. He said he gave the student a ride home, to the home of Alexandria City Public Schools school board member Bill Campbell, because no one was available to pick the student up. Hill said he was told that students aren't allowed to ride in a coach's vehicle. Another parent said Thursday that other parents have also given the student a ride home when Campbell wasn't available to pick him up.

Hill said Wednesday that he believes a suitable punishment might have been some sort of reprimand but to be let go for giving a student a ride home, when he didn't have a ride, was an overreaction.

Campbell told Patch that he took his concerns about what he called Hill's inappropriate language and a "culture of fear" at practices to the athletic director. Hill said those concerns were not brought up in his discussions with the principal, the superintendent and the athletic director. Other parents said they disagreed with Campbell's concerns and said the coach has the respect of the students and the parents.

Campbell said other parents were also concerned about Hill, while some parents say that it's only Campbell who wanted Hill gone and that he has been campaigning for him to leave for over a year. Several parents characterized Campbell's actions as "bullying" and also said he was misusing his authority as a school board member. Campbell asserts he is only a concerned parent.

ACPS won't comment, saying only that it's a "personnel matter."

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