By: Las Vegas Now Staff
School officials are investigating allegations that a high school basketball coach fixed grades to keep his players on the team. The grade-fixing allegations were made last month by two parents.
Coach Jerraye Floyd led the boys varsity basketball team at Desert Pines High School to a 16 win, seven-loss season. But he won't be leading the team at their playoff games next week because school officials have bounced him off of the team.
One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, says his son's basketball coach was out of line. “What he directly said to me is that he would go talk to my son's teacher and attempt to get his grades changed.” said the parent who was shocked by the coach's offer.
“People get it mistaken. They are student-athletes, not athlete-students. So I felt they were taking advantage of the kids athletic abilities, and I don't approve of that,” he said.
When another parent claimed coach Jerraye Floyd had arranged for one of his son's grades to be improved, the two fathers cried foul.
“There's only a few things that can really get you in trouble with the school district and certainly dishonestly is one of them,” said Dr. Tim Stephens, Desert Pines High School principal. He immediately launched an investigation.
One grade had been changed to improve a player's grade point average. Stephens removed coach Floyd from the team, though he continues to teach physical education.
“It is a shame when something like this comes about and kind of tries to tarnish the reputation but fortunately we were notified, we took quick action on it and we'll see how the investigation pans out,” said Stephens.
One parent's allegations were not proven but he says his son will be focusing on books not basketball for the rest of the year.
“It's been going on for a very long time around the country and it takes certain people to step up and say they don't approve of it because in the long run it hurts the student-athlete and that's what I do not want to happen to my child.”
Principal Stephens says there's no evidence any other grades were changed, so the team's record will stay intact. But both the school and the state's athletics association continue to investigate both Jerraye Floyd and another teacher who may have been involved.
Click here to email reporter Adriennne Augustus.
