Bolding to fight firing at meeting

North Little Rock High School head football coach Brad Bolding plans to appear before the School Board on Feb. 26 to appeal the district's decision to fire him, the coach's attorney said Friday.

David Couch said a time for the meeting hadn't been set, but he's requested that it be moved from the district's boardroom to allow more space for "the anticipated larger crowd."

"They've not sent me anything in writing yet, but me and Jay Bequette, the [district's] lawyer, agreed on the date," Couch said.

In an interview Friday, Bequette said he couldn't confirm the meeting.

"I'm not sure what the final plans are on that. I really can't comment on anything related to that," he said. "The School Board will announce when any meeting has been scheduled."

Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said the date had been discussed and the School Board members were available to meet Feb. 26. But he said the district was waiting to hear from Couch and Bequette to confirm the date and time.

The setting of the appeal hearing comes two weeks after Bolding was given notice of his firing and about a week after the district announced that it would forfeit more than 30 football and basketball games from the 2013-14 academic year, including a boys basketball state championship.

In his firing notice, the district cited Bolding for failure to follow district purchasing and inventory procedures regarding athletic equipment, failing to comply with the district's policy for disposal of personal property and unprofessional conduct regarding a Facebook posting in November.

The notice also accused Bolding of violating Arkansas Activities Association rules regarding contact he had with Montez Peterson, the stepfather of North Little Rock wide receiver K.J. Hill, in early 2013.

Bolding was accused of giving Peterson a check for $600 from the NLR Athletic Foundation -- a private, nonprofit booster club separate from the school district -- in February 2013, about a month before Hill enrolled in the North Little Rock district as a sophomore.

Hill was a standout wide receiver who drew the attention of major college football programs during his junior and senior years at North Little Rock. In August, Hill orally committed to the University of Arkansas but later decommitted. On Feb. 4, Hill signed a national letter of intent to play football at Ohio State University.

On Feb. 5, the district forfeited more than 30 games in football and boys basketball, including the Class 7A state boys basketball title, because of an ineligible player. The district cited the $600 check given to Peterson, saying it was a violation of recruiting rules.

The district also included two letters from Peterson that gave differing accounts.

One said Bolding gave him the check to reimburse him for a football camp. The other letter said Peterson received the check from Billy Starks, president of the NLR Athletic Foundation, which raised more than $112,000 in 2013 and spent about $93,000 to support the North Little Rock football program.

Bolding and Starks have backed up Peterson's second letter, saying Starks gave him the check to pay for supplies for a football cookout and other equipment. At the time, Peterson was volunteering to help the football program by running errands and supervising players during off-season workouts, they said.

In interviews with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this week, Bolding said he never gave Peterson the check and that he never recruited Hill. Bolding said he believes the district forfeited the games to bolster its decision to fire him.

Bolding also said that before he was fired, a district administrator pressured him to resign so that all of the accusations made against him would be "sealed."

District officials have declined to comment on the decision to fire Bolding, saying they're not allowed to discuss "personnel matters."

Couch said Friday that the district can present evidence at the appeal hearing that relates to only the four violations listed in the coach's notice of termination.

Bolding's appeal hearing will proceed like a trial, with both the district and Couch presenting evidence and calling witnesses for the board to consider. After hearing both sides, the board will decide whether to uphold the firing.

Couch said he plans to show that the coach didn't give Peterson the check and didn't violate AAA rules. He also plans to show that the district didn't have any reason to fire Bolding for his Facebook post or for equipment purchases made by Bolding and the NLR Athletic Foundation.

Couch and Bolding have said the district should not have forfeited the games and the state title. They say it should have let the AAA investigate on its own and determine whether any action needed to be taken.

Lance Taylor, executive director for AAA, said Friday that the association has accepted the forfeiture of North Little Rock's football and boys basketball victories as well as the boys basketball state title. Taylor said he couldn't comment on whether the School Board's decision regarding Bolding would have any impact on the AAA's decision.

Bolding has coached at North Little Rock since 2007. He is 64-30 in eight seasons and led the Charging Wildcats to the Class 7A semifinals last season, losing to eventual state champion Bentonville.

Bolding, whose annual salary is $79,393.13, teaches physical education at North Little Rock High School-West Campus in addition to coaching football.

The allegations made against Bolding also will be the subject of public comment at the School Board's meeting Thursday.

Chris Burks, a volunteer with the North Little Rock football program, said he planned to discuss the district's decision to forfeit the games and state title.

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the district's administrative office at 2700 N. Poplar St.

Metro on 02/14/2015