Day 17: WHERE IS KENNEDY HIGH COACH MANNY ALVARADO?

by Eric Sondheimer/Varsity Times Insider: Times reporters blog about high school sports across the Southland | http://lat.ms/Rwtt0I

August 30, 2012 | 10:59 am :: It's Day 17 in the ongoing Los Angeles Unified School District saga known as "Where is Manny Alvarado?"

The longtime Granada Hills Kennedy baseball coach was pulled from his teaching and coaching positions on Aug. 14 and sent to an undisclosed location. Word is he spends each day at a local district office.

The LAUSD has refused comment on his status, citing confidentiality and privacy laws. A district spokesman said Thursday there was no update.

Kennedy parents held a meeting Wednesday night with district officials to try to find out if the school will have a baseball team this coming season. No one is running practices and players no longer have an off-season baseball class.

Alvarado is apparently waiting to see what the district decides about his status.

Last school year, the LAUSD tried to suspend Alvarado after an alleged hazing incident involving two players in the school weight room. He appealed the suspension. In June, a Kennedy assistant coach was arrested on suspicion of smoking marijuana with a group of junior varsity players.

Alvarado has declined comment. He has been the baseball coach for 24 years.

 

smf: There is a whole lot of a abundance of caution going-on here – as well as as an overabundance of stirring-the-pot by Times Reporter/Blogger Sondheimer and his “saga”.

There is an investigation going on and a whole lot of due process  to specifically protect the rights of the accused and their (it is plural – and there are also minor students implicated) presumption of innocence. Coach Alvarado has been  removed from his teaching and coaching assignments because of allegations that he was involved in and/or tolerated activity in:

1) the alleged hazing and

20 the alleged pot-party field trip to the Dodger game by an assistant coach who was a direct report to him.

It’s not like he was snatched off the street and disappeared by the Syrian Secret Police!

Coach Alvarado has not been fired or publicly subjected to speculation by anyone other than reporter/blogger Sondheimer. And as to the baseball fans and Kennedy boosters who support him remember these four words: “Joe Paterno” and “Never again”.

Not that it matters; Superintendent Deasy has never read a blog in his life.