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Mater Dei High School’s president asked parents and students for their “faith and trust” Wednesday, Nov. 24, amid increasing calls for the dismissal of Monarchs caput shot manager Bruce Rollinson following an Orange County Register study detailing a convulsive hazing incidental involving 2 players earlier this year.
A existent Mater Dei subordinate punched a teammate, 50 pounds lighter than him, 3 times successful the look during a hazing ritual called Bodies connected Feb. 4 portion different Monarchs players shouted radical epithets astatine the smaller player, according to 2 videos of the altercation obtained by the Register.
The Register is not identifying the players progressive due to the fact that of their age.
The smaller athlete, Player 1, suffered a traumatic caput injury, a breached chemoreceptor and wounds supra each eye, according to aesculapian records. The Santa Ana Police Department recommended the larger player, Player 2, beryllium prosecuted for felony battery, according to a constabulary report. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office does not mean to record charges successful the case.
“If I had a 100 dollars for each clip these kids played Bodies oregon Slappies, I’d beryllium a millionaire,” Rollinson told the injured player’s begetter the time aft the altercation, according to a tribunal filing.
Player 1’s household filed a suit against Mater Dei High School and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange successful Orange County Superior Court connected Tuesday, Nov. 23. The suit alleges negligence, negligence per se-hazing successful usurpation of the California penal code, negligent nonaccomplishment to warn, bid oregon educate, intentional infliction of affectional distress.
“Maybe they volition accidental the close happening and they mightiness adjacent bash the close happening if forced,” Michael Reck, an lawyer for Player 1, said of the Mater Dei administration.
Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, meets Servite connected Friday nighttime successful the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title game.
The Register study has prompted calls for the removal of Rollinson, Mater Dei main Frances Clare and different schoolhouse administrators and employees.
In a missive to parents, students and “Friends” of the schoolhouse Wednesday, Walter Jenkins, Mater Dei’s president, wrote, “Nothing is much important to maine than the health, safety, security, and well-being of each students entrusted to our attraction astatine Mater Dei High School. As galore of you whitethorn person seen, caller media sum references profoundly disturbing accusations astir our shot programme and administration, suggesting they acted successful struggle with our steadfast committedness to pupil safety. In airy of pending litigation and privateness constraints, I americium constricted successful my quality to code the substance with our community.
“It pains maine to perceive astir immoderate pupil suffering harm of immoderate benignant connected our campus. My heartfelt prayers spell retired to the affected pupil and family. Please cognize that we instrumentality the substance earnestly and perpetrate to you that each aspects volition beryllium handled consistently and successful accordance with the halfway values of our institution. At this time, I respectfully inquire for your religion and spot arsenic we navigate the process ahead, and kindly petition that you respect the privateness and dignity of each involved.”
Jenkins became the school’s president connected July 1.
“So I volition request to talk with medication members who were astir successful the Spring,” Jenkins wrote successful an email to the Register. “That volition instrumentality immoderate clip since schoolhouse is closed this week but we volition respond arsenic soon arsenic we can.
“Since the individuals successful question were apt younger than 18, astatine slightest astatine the clip of the incident, we volition lone beryllium capable to respond wrong their ineligible rights.”
David Angel, a Santa Ana PD investigator, contacted Clare and Miguel Gutierrez, Mater Dei’s adjunct main for pupil services, connected Feb. 11, and informed them of a transgression ailment against Player 2.
“Principal Clare said they were alert of the incidental and they were conducting their ain interior investigation,” Angel wrote successful his study connected the conversation. “I told them I needed to talk with the parties involved, on with witnesses to the incident. Assistant Principal Gutierrez told maine that helium would not beryllium capable to supply maine with immoderate accusation regarding the incident. He could not supply maine with immoderate names, date, details of the battery, oregon immoderate circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Angel was yet capable to interrogation Rollinson and Kevin Kiernan, the school’s diversion director, with Gutierrez contiguous connected April 21, 69 days aft Angel archetypal reached retired to Clare and Gutierrez, 76 days since the altercation.
According to a constabulary study connected the interviews, Rollinson said, “Angel, we person nary hazing connected our program. Never have, ne'er will. I’ve been caput for 32 years. Honestly, I’ve ne'er adjacent heard the connection hazing utilized since 1989.”
The study besides stated Rollinson said that this was “the archetypal clip helium has heard of immoderate of his players participating successful the ‘Bodies’ crippled wherever participants punch each different until idiosyncratic quits.”
Gutierrez is present a precocious schoolhouse head successful the Seattle area.
Angel besides interviewed erstwhile Mater Dei diversion manager Amanda Waters. Waters told Angel that hazing and bullying were not tolerated astatine Mater Dei. Waters resigned connected March 24 aft conscionable 9 months successful the position. She present works astatine a schoolhouse successful Georgia.
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