Complaint Filed Over Student-Athletes’ Dismissal

BERLIN – A group of parents are seeking the removal of a Stephen Decatur High School coach after he kicked their children off the school’s wrestling team for supposed drug use.

A complaint filed by the parents, submitted to Worcester County’s superintendent of schools by the law office of Thomas Maronick Jr., says three students — a sophomore, junior and senior — were dismissed from the wrestling team by coach Todd Martinek, who reportedly removed the teenagers from the team for “smelling like pot” as they prepared for a match Jan. 28.

The parents, who deny that their children had been smoking marijuana, want a public apology and want Martinek removed from his position as coach. They originally wanted Martinek, who is a teacher at Decatur, stripped of his position in the classroom as well but have amended their request.

“The hostile environment that our children have to walk into every morning has become overwhelming for them and us,” one parent said. “When coaches, teachers, administrators and the board abandon their own rules and policy they, in turn, abandon the rights, safety and health of all students.  This is not an isolated incident.  Our children are not the first students to suffer this behavior, nor are we the first parents, but we hope we can be the last.”

While not willing to go into details, Martinek made it clear last week he has no intention of stepping down from coaching and stands by his decision to dismiss the three players, who he believes were under the influence of marijuana. He has been a coach for more than two decades and became head wrestling coach at Decatur in 2011.

In a short statement, Martinek said it’s unusual for athletes on his teams to be caught using drugs and that he appreciated the support parents have shown him and his fellow coaches through the years.

“In 23 years of coaching, I have only thrown athletes off two times for drugs,” he said. “Many parents have shown support to coaches at SDHS, and those parents are greatly appreciated.”

School system officials acknowledged the complaint from the law office but said they could not discuss the specific incident.

“The complaints involved a disciplinary matter which occurred during the 2015 winter season,” said Barb Witherow, coordinator of public relations for Worcester County public schools. “An investigation was conducted. We cannot release investigation records unless the involved parents sign a release form.”

The parents declined to sign such a release, citing the fact that they were moving toward civil litigation.

According to the complaint, Martinek approached the students as they were dressing for the Jan. 28 wrestling match and said they smelled like they had been smoking marijuana. He allegedly told them if they didn’t say who had been smoking marijuana they would be kicked off the team.

“Subsequently, as the young men were not smoking ‘pot’ and were unwilling to give an untruthful answer they were told by all three coaches to go clean out their lockers and were thrown off the team,” the complaint reads. “The aftermath was that the young men were removed from the team for a crime they didn’t commit, following an allegation that was never proven, and in fact, soundly disproven by the facts.”

It goes on to state that though Stephen Decatur High School Principal Tom Zimmer overruled Martinek’s decision to throw the kids off the team, they would not return while Martinek was coach.

“The students’ desire to continue to grow as young men and to do so in a safe and supportive environment where they do not have to fear that they will be accused of criminal offenses that they did not commit and do not feel that falsely implicating someone for doing drugs that never occurred to stay on the team is the right way to act,” the complaint states.