Over 100 residents were gathered at the Feb. 26 Garden City of Education meeting as 27 G.C.H.S. Lacrosse players urged the board of education to name William "Doc" Dougherty as their coach for the upcoming spring season.

This unified support of Dougherty came during the meeting where all the coaching appointments, except for that of head coach for the boys' lacrosse team, were made. Though Dougherty has been the coach for that team since 1974 and has led the team in 10 Nassau championships, nine Long Island championships, and four state championships, he was removed from his duties as a physical education teacher and a coach in December. According to an article in Newsday, he was removed from his duties as a teacher and a coach pending an investigation into his alleged verbal abuse of a Garden City High School student. In the beginning of February Dougherty was allowed to return to teaching but was not told he could again coach last year's state lacrosse champions. According to his attorney, Bill Breuer, who also spoke at the meeting, Dougherty was offered a settlement where, if he gave up his teaching position, he could resume his coaching duties.

Dougherty's team members, one by one, spoke about how their coach has positively impacted their life and the lives of their friends. Several of the lacrosse players commented that when they applied to colleges, the colleges reacted to them more favorably once they discovered that they had been coached by Dougherty. One player said that colleges know that a young man coached by Dougherty has a work ethic, loyalty, team spirit, and a good attitude. Jared Keating, a senior lacrosse player, stated, "Doc is so much more than a coach, he is the greatest teacher of life."

Several students commented on the national reputation that Dougherty has earned and noted that many players have been accepted into Ivy League colleges because of Dougherty. According to the team members, Dougherty goes out of his way to call the college coaches and give them an honest assessment of the player. Team members also said that Dougherty has helped them excel academically, accepting nothing less. The team has been the state's Scholar-Athlete team for the last two years.

Parents also voiced their support of the coach, with one parent noting that Dougherty meets with each team member and his parents at the beginning of his senior year to discuss the player's options for the future. The parent added that time is not a consideration in these discussions and the coach will spend however long is necessary to help the family in considering their college options.

Parents were also concerned that their children were called out of the classroom and questioned about the alleged incident. One parent said that their child's rights were violated when he was questioned by the district's attorney without permission from a parent. School Board President Linda Leone said in a written statement, following the meeting, "There is no legal requirement that a parent be present or notified when school officials question a student during the school day regarding school matters. The principal of a school retains the right to question any student on issues involving school matters. In addition, an attorney may be considered a school official for the purposes of an internal investigation, regarding issues involving school staff members." Leone said that although there is no legal requirement for parental permission, the district did obtain parental permission before the attorney questioned any student. "As previously noted, the school attorney is considered a school official for purposes of interviewing a student regarding school matters. However, in this case, if parents objected to having the school attorney interview their child, then only the school principal interviewed those students."

It was noted at the board of education meeting that a coach had to be out on the field on Monday, March 5 when the lacrosse season was scheduled to begin.

When contacted Monday morning, though the district was closed because of the impending snowstorm, Leone stated, "A settlement was reached on Saturday by Garden City Public Schools and Mr. Dougherty. Appropriate discipline was accepted by Mr. Dougherty along with other remedial actions. Consequently, the district has assigned Mr. Dougherty to be the lacrosse coach for the Spring 2001 season." According to Leone, Dougherty will also continue with his teaching responsibilities.