St. John School Board determines coach’s statements were not sexual harassment

By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

RESERVE – Facing termination in a storm of sexual misconduct allegations, East St. John High School Head Basketball Coach Charles Julien was vindicated late Thursday night when the St. John Parish School Board concluded his statements to a female student were not sexual harassment.

If the board had deemed the statements differently it likely would have terminated Julien, but instead lightly sentenced him to a suspension without pay through May 30, 2007.

&#8220We’re considering it a fair decision based solely on the evidence provided. (The administration) had a certain amount of evidence but you can’t add what’s not there. Evidence has to be factual,” School Board Member Patrick H. Sanders said.

&#8220It was clear that it wasn’t sexual harassment,” School Board Member Russell Jack said.

The allegations reportedly surfaced when a female student’s parents overheard Julian speak candidly about a family member’s personal issues in a telephone conversation with the student. The parent’s deemed the conversation sexual in nature and reported it to the school administration.

School board members declined to cite the case’s specifics.

Julian asked for the employee hearing in response to the charges, which the school board was forced to grant in accord with rule 20.2 in its agreement with the St. John Association of Educators.

The ruling came in a unanimous 10-0 vote with Russ Wise absent, following over three hours of executive session closed to the general public and eventually concluding at 11:15 p.m., more than five hours after the meeting started.

A crowd of roughly 30 supporters composed of friends, family and students anxiously waited outside the Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria in the mosquito-filled night for the three hours it took to make a decision, at one point gathering in a circle to pray for Julien.

At approximately 11 p.m. they were brought in to hear Julien’s fate. The muffled echoes of arguments could be heard from the school board’s private deliberation, before the decision was announced and the crowd erupted into cheers.

They flooded out the door to congratulate Julien, who declined to speak with the media but expressed his satisfaction with his supporters.

&#8220I want to thank everybody for coming out here. I owe you all steak!” Julian announced.

Julien’s wife Latoya spoke on his behalf about the decision.

&#8220I love it,” she said.

Julian brought the East St. John basketball program to unprecedented heights during his five years as the Wildcats’ coach, guiding the school to its first district championship in school history this past season.

He also led the team to its first Top 28 tournament in school history in 2004.

Julien had no coaching experience at the high school or junior high levels prior to being hired in 2002 with a successful track record as a Biddy League coach.

&#8220It was a difficult decision because of the pressures from the outside, the national reputation and activity that has been going on with school systems and with teachers and students in general. But we cannot be influenced by other situations. We have to look at that one case and the merits and evidence of that one case and not overreach into other areas and pull feelings out of the air that aren’t factual,” School Board Member Matthew Ory said.

His supporters welcomed the school board’s ruling.

&#8220I know him as a nice young man. I think everything was done right. He does well and he’s a very giving young man,” Julien’s friend Olivia Morris said.

&#8220If you’re going to find his mistake, he’s too nice and he’s always trying to get kids to feel good about themselves,” his cousin Barbara Burton said.