A Palmerton Area School District girls wrestling assistant coach handed the board of directors a formal Title IX retaliation complaint against three administrators Tuesday night, capping a public comment session in which more than a dozen parents, athletes and alumni asked for his reinstatement.

Jamie Tomsic, assistant coach of the Palmerton girls wrestling program since its founding three years ago, told the school board he was not renewed for next season based on a rumor he says was fabricated by members of the junior high boys wrestling team. He said no one in the administration spoke to him directly, interviewed the girls coaching staff or gave him an opportunity to respond before the decision was made.

Tomsic said his Title IX complaint was directed toward Athletic Director Justin Petersen, Superintendent Dr. Angela Friebolin and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dan Heaney.

Leah Schaible, the captain of the high school team, told the board, “All of our team’s member’s voices need to be heard” in protest of what she called “false accusations.” She added that Tomsic worked “incredibly hard” to get the best from every girl on the team and gave every girl in the school a chance to wrestle.”

Allegations

Schaible credited him for their 7-0 season, several Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state qualifiers and a Colonial League championship. She explained that Coach Tomsic always treated each girl with respect, helped them find colleges to attend after high school and wrote them letters of recommendation.

“These are serious allegations without an investigation and all the boys’ and girls’ wrestling coaches and team members should be questioned,” Schaible said. “Kids in junior high openly talked about wanting to get both coaches fired. To not renew Tomsic based on false accusations that are easily disproved would not only be a disservice to him as a person, but a huge detriment to the future of the girls’ team. This drama has been going on in the junior high for months.”

Parent Tiffany Jennings, whose freshman daughter wrestles on the team, raised a separate line of questioning. She pointed out that the alleged comment used to justify Tomsic’s removal reportedly occurred in December — yet he was permitted to continue coaching for more than two months before the season ended.

“The comment that was supposedly made by Jamie happened in December,” Jennings said. “We were comfortable letting him coach for two and a half more months without something being said. So I failed to see how something so inappropriate could cause him to not be able to come back next year as a coach, but he was able to coach for two and a half months afterwards.”

Jennings said she made a formal request for a third-party Title IX investigation, which was denied on the grounds that the alleged conduct did not rise to the level of sexual misconduct.

“I failed to see how a male coach stating to a female wrestler that her coach is a (expletive) is not sexually explicit,” Jennings said.

Coach speaks out

When it was his turn to speak, Tomsic said he was never informed directly by Peterson that he would not be brought back. Instead, the message was relayed through head coach Josh Rake. And according to Tomsic, Rake was warned at that same meeting not to push back.

“During this meeting, the head coach was informed that if he in any way tried to advocate for me, that he would be let go as well, and they would just restaff the entire program,” Tomsic said. “And at that point, Justin finished talking, and apparently the point wasn’t driven home enough. And my good friend Dan Heaney over there decided to push that point in a little bit harder and let him know that if he tried to argue, he is gone — point blank.”

Tomsic told the board the reason given for his non-renewal was a rumor he said was spread by members of the junior high boys wrestling team. He said his stepdaughter, who shares a lunch period with those students, told him the boys joked that they had been told to make the accusation because it would get him fired.

“The reason for not retaining me was allegedly a rumor spread by the boys team in an effort to get me fired,” Tomsic said. “Not only was I not asked about this, but none of the girls coaching staff were given an opportunity to speak. No one was reached out to. Nothing was discussed.”

He said the situation traces back to a complaint he filed against a boys team assistant coach — someone he described as carrying a personal relationship with Peterson — for creating a hostile work environment. Among other incidents, Tomsic said that the coach accused the girls of causing a ringworm outbreak on the boys team.

“None of the girls had ringworm nor any other skin infection at any point in the season,” Tomsic said. “Ringworm is spread by direct skin to skin contact or touching contaminated objects. If we didn’t have it, we didn’t cause it.”

Tomsic also told the board he raised concerns about Heaney’s involvement in his case as far back as a Sept. 3 meeting with Friebolin, warning her then that Heaney would find a way to have him fired. He said Friebolin promised to take notes and protect his status.

“To this date, I have never received the notes,” Tomsic said. “You guys have all seen me request them. Still haven’t seen the notes from that meeting, and I don’t know where they are.”

Student support

Senior Cassidy Merkel, one of the program’s founding members, told the board the decision felt personal.

“Hearsay should not be something that we just take so lightly, because it’s removing one of the best coaches I think Palmerton has ever had,” Merkel said. “Since the first practice ever, Coach Tomsic has always done his best to help us and make sure that we stay safe, physically and mentally in such a difficult sport.”

Perhaps the most striking testimony came from Skylar Benninger, a freshman at Lackawanna College who returned to Palmerton on spring break specifically to address the board. She told directors she grew up without a stable home — her mother has a mental illness, her father is incarcerated — and that Tomsic was a consistent presence throughout her high school career.

“I told him that I didn’t have much plans on going to college after high school, and he entirely changed my mindset and actually searched very many colleges, hyping me up to them simply to get me scholarships,” Benninger said. “And succeeded. I now go to Lackawanna College and I’m on a $5,000 scholarship per semester.”

Nicole Baker, whose daughter is a first year wrestler, spoke directly to the administration and the board, “What kind of investigation was conducted? Was an established district policy followed? Was the investigator actually qualified to lead this investigation? Were all members of the girls’ team interviewed? Were parents given the opportunity to provide their input? When allegations are serious enough to end a coaching role, they should be met with thorough and transparent processes.”

Tomsic contends that Petersen has a habit of firing coaches and that he had fired track and cross country coach Mike Horvath twice in one season for minor infractions.

He concluded his remarks by telling the board, “I just want to let you know right now that this is the most time that anybody’s taken to listen to me on this issue — not Petersen, not Dan, not Angela, not Paula (Husar), nobody.”

Board member Kris Schaible said she was legally advised to make no comment on the personal matter, but told the members of the team that she will keep fighting for the program.

Board member, Earl Paules, who had attended several girls’ wrestling matches this season, said, “These girls are good. I bet you they could beat most boys. I’m not making that up. I watched that happen. I hope they do the investigation that they actually should do. That’s what you deserve.”

District administration did not respond to the allegations during Tuesday’s meeting. No board vote on Tomsic’s reinstatement was taken.