PITTSBURGH -- Pressure from the
South Butler County School District teachers' strike seems to be taking a toll, as a parent reported that her son was threatened by the varsity golf coach after speaking his mind about the situation.
Suze Boros told Channel 4 Action News that her son was on a bus with other golf teammates headed to a tournament.
"What he said is that if the teachers did not like their jobs, they should go find other ones," Boros said.
Coach Rob Voltz, who's also a teacher, then threatened her son, Boros said.
"The coach stood up and told him if he said another word, he would come back there and beat the (expletive) out of him," Boros said.
The school district offered this statement: "We did an investigation on the incident and took statements from the golfers. They say the incident happened, both sides apologized, and they thought it was over. The matter has been closed based on our internal investigation and the coach is free to go back to coaching."
Boros said the coach explained that "he had been under a lot of stress that day and my son should know he did not mean to threaten him and he was sorry he did that."
She added that the explanation did not satisfy her, and her lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the school district.
"We want the teacher dismissed as a golf coach and possibly dismissed as a teacher," attorney Jim Cook said. "At the very least, he should undergo a mental health examination."
South Butler County classes have been canceled since the start of the strike on Sept. 21. State law limits the amount of time a teachers' strike can continue.
The school district said classes will resume no later than Oct. 7, but students and parents should
check the district's Web site for information daily.
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