Ringling football coach placed on paid administrative leave amid criminal investigation
RINGLING — An Oklahoma school district has placed a high school football coach on paid administrative leave during an investigation into claims of bullying and verbal abuse.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations from parents and students against Philip Koons, who is also the Ringling High School principal.
On Thursday morning, several law enforcement vehicles, including an OSBI crime scene unit truck, were parked outside the high school and district administration buildings.
At least two officers were interviewing students and school employees.
Although the Ringling school district did not respond to multiple requests for comment, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters released a statement Wednesday.
“Phil Koons of Ringling Public Schools has officially been put on paid administrative leave while an ongoing criminal investigation about the allegations and concerns brought against him is completed,” Walters said. “We will continue to monitor the investigation as we have since the beginning and support Superintendent Kent Southward’s decision.”
The decision to suspend Koons was up to the school district, not the state.
Koons declined to speak to a reporter Wednesday before news of the suspension became public.
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Jefferson County Sheriff Jeremie Wilson said Friday that his department turned information over to the OSBI after interviewing multiple students and parents. Although Ringling parent Susan Lyle went before the school board Feb. 13 to voice her concerns about Koons, the board voted to keep him on staff.
Cameron Spradling, an attorney representing alleged victims, shared a statement Tuesday on Twitter from The Oklahoma State Conference NAACP, which called for an investigation into the abuse claims. The NAACP chapter stated its intention to file an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
In the statement, the NAACP cited allegations from students saying Koons “used racial slurs about players and referees.”
“Ringling School District has failed to ensure that students do not experience a hostile environment because of their race, sex or gender identity,” the statement reads. “There is a group of current and former Ringling students who have first-hand experience with the harmful consequences of the hostile environment that will be detailed in the administrative complaint.”
As a coach at Tuttle and Clinton, Koons was also embroiled in controversy. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs reported allegations of Koons exposing his genitalia to players, and KFOR reported a Tuttle student’s parents said their son “wanted to commit suicide” after alleged verbal harassment from Koons.
Molly Young contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ringling principal Philip Koons placed on paid administrative leave
