A special North Little Rock School Board meeting to decide the fate of high school head football coach Brad Bolding will be broadcast live to one of the district's middle schools, district officials said Tuesday.
Document set
North Little Rock football coach Brad Bolding
- Brad Bolding complaint
- Brad Bolding's appeal letter
- Reissued Bolding Termination Letter
- Warm-up grant
- Letter from AAA acknowledging forfeits
- Bolding letter challenging AAA decision
- Bolding Facebook comments
- Hoggs Meat Market receipt
- Bolding termination letter
- Football equipment receipt
- NLRSD self report of violations
Members of the public will be able to watch the meeting Thursday via a live video stream at Lakewood Middle School, 2300 Lakeview Road, a few miles away from where the board will meet at the district's administrative offices at 2700 N. Poplar St.
"A small number of people -- approximately 30 -- will be able to fit in the board room at the district's administration building," according to a meeting notice from the district.
Both the auditorium, which seats 200, and the boardroom will open at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, an hour before the meeting. Members of the public will not be allowed to comment or participate in the meeting, which district officials say could last "several hours."
The meeting comes as central Arkansas has been battered by ice and snow that coated roadways and closed several schools earlier this week, including North Little Rock's.
Snow was expected to begin overnight, and the central part of the state including Pulaski County was expected to see 1 to 2 inches.
North Little Rock School District Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said district administrators will assess road conditions today and Thursday to determine whether to go ahead with Bolding's appeal hearing.
"We'll wait and see if we get that weather," Rodgers said. "I'm sure if the attorneys agree that it's unsafe for us to travel and have the hearing then we'll look at some alternatives at that point."
Bolding requested a public appeal hearing earlier this month after district administrators recommended his firing.
The district accused Bolding of failure to follow district purchasing and inventory procedures regarding athletic equipment, failure to comply with the district's policy for disposal of personal property, and unprofessional conduct regarding a Facebook posting in November.
The district also accused Bolding of giving a $600 check to Montez Peterson, the stepfather of star wide receiver K.J. Hill, before Hill was enrolled in the district.
The district cited the $600 check in documents it turned over to the Arkansas Activities Association to justify forfeiting 10 football games and at least 24 boys basketball games, including a Class 7A boys basketball state title, because of an ineligible player.
The district said the check was evidence of improper contact with Peterson and a violation of AAA rules regarding recruiting. The AAA accepted the forfeits, and Rodgers has said the association worked with the school for at least two weeks before it "self-reported" the rules violation.
But Bolding and others in the community have said they believe the district overreacted.
Bolding has called on the AAA to conduct its own investigation of the matter rather than relying on the information provided by the school district. Bolding said he wasn't interviewed during the investigation, and he denies giving Peterson the check.
Bolding also has challenged the evidence submitted by the school district to support the forfeits, particularly two letters from Peterson that gave differing accounts of the $600 check dated Feb. 7, 2013.
In one letter, Peterson wrote that Bolding gave him the check to reimburse him for expenses incurred traveling to the U.S. Army All-American Combine Camp. But Hill didn't attend that camp until a year later.
The other letter from Peterson said he received the check from Billy Starks, president of the NLR Athletic Foundation.
Starks has backed up Peterson's second letter, saying he gave Peterson the money to pay for supplies for a cookout and other football equipment. Starks also provided receipts that he said account for about half the money.
Peterson received the check about a month before Hill formally transferred from the Bryant School District to North Little Rock. Over the past two years, Hill was a standout wide receiver who drew the attention of major college football programs. Hill also was part of the state championship boys basketball team.
On Feb. 4, Hill signed a national letter of intent to play football at Ohio State University. He had previously said he would attend the University of Arkansas.
Information for this article was contributed by Kenneth Heard of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 02/25/2015