Second, having spent a brief but very rewarding period of my life working with at-risk youth, I would say that given Mr. Kerrigan's high reputation for working with young people, the students at Harwood, the school itself, and the whole community are lucky to have him. In my opinion, the school board should be looking for ways to reward him and make him feel valued and appreciated, rather than beating him up for some minor infraction.
Personally, I was very content with the fact that he apologized. I think that was sufficient and that he should have been allowed to go on doing the exceptional job he does for this community. The students and the school have been deprived of a very valuable asset by his suspension from his coaching duties.
Finally, it seems that the school board was trying to send a message to Mr. Kerrigan, the students and other faculty by their actions. Unfortunately, I doubt that the message received was the one they thought they were sending.
Paul R. Hanke
Warren
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