Brody's Notes... Gay Water Polo Ex-Coach & Supporters Protest His Termination.

Mitch Stein

By Brody Levesque | LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA - - An openly gay junior varsity boys water polo coach- who was fired at the beginning of the school year in August- attended the Charter Oak Unified school board Thursday to protest his termination claiming he was fired for being gay.

Mitch Stein was working as an assistant coach for the Charter Oak High School boy's junior varsity water polo team in suburban Covina when a disagreement over school policy touched off an argument that led to pictures from Stein's Facebook and MySpace pages being turned over to school officials who deemed the photographs as inappropriate, despite being taken at some non-school related events. One photo shows Stein suggestively holding a corndog to his face and another has Stein posing with men in drag. Stein was never wearing anything sexually suggestive in the pictures nor were any students linked to the photos.

In an article published by the Glendora Patch.com on September 22, Stein told Patch that some of the pictures were few years old an that one was taken over a decade ago. The timing of the photos’ surfacing is highly questionable, according to Stein.

Patch reports:

Two weeks before the start of school, Charter Oak High School Principal Kathleen Wiard informed Howard Hyde, varsity swim coach, that at least half of his athletes had not completed their yearly physical clearing them for competition.

The students had one week to complete their physicals or be barred from competing.

By the deadline, only three students did not complete their physicals. As punishment, Hyde made the students wash the cars of some school administrators and faculty.

According to Stein, an angry parent of one of the students complained about the punishment to Stein after practice.

Soon after, an anonymous parent sent an envelope containing a letter and several of Stein’s MySpace and Facebook photos to the principal’s office.

Stein’s accounts were public at the time.

According to Stein, the letter chastised the school for hiring him and said he was unfit to work with children. Stein was relieved of his duties that very day and was told not to go near the pools.

Stein’s daughter, Devynn, is a freshman at COHS.

She has been coping well with the situation, but some incidents occurred.

Several students confronted Devynn and called her father a cross dresser and a transvestite. One of the confronting students threw gum in the daughter’s hair.

“In that first initial meeting, I was shocked,” said Stein, who feels his First Amendment rights were violated. “I was immediately worried about my daughter and the ramifications.”

A dozen of Stein's supporters were also in attendance at Thursday' school board Thursday to protest his termination.

The high school's principal said Stein was relieved of his duties because of the "inappropriate" nature of photos despite his promises to have the photos removed from his social media sites.

Stein has since hired an attorney to handle his case. Last month, he filed a discrimination complaint against the school district- a precursor to filing a lawsuit. But school officials have rejected his claims and have been unwilling to reinstate him.

The San Gabriel Tribune newspaper reported:

So while the Charter Oak Unified school board conducted its business on Thursday, Stein's supporters - including his daughter Devynn Stein, a Charter Oak freshman - gathered in the back of the room holding signs expressing solidarity with him.

Supporters addressed the board during the public comment period, including Devynn's mother, Jeanne Amaya.

"As a parent, I don't feel these pictures, which I have seen, are remotely offensive," Amaya said. "If one parent has that much power. I would be afraid as a teacher, counselor or administrator."

Tara Turner, who identified herself as a lesbian and the mother of two Charter Oak High students, said the situation amounted to bullying by a "homophobic parent."

"He has done nothing wrong," Turner said. "We are trying to teach our students and these are the examples we are giving? We will not let ourselves be bullied."

Another parent, Sandra Oddo, attended the meeting to urge the board to lend its support for a new high school pool, but said she felt compelled to speak about the situation with Stein. Oddo told the board to keep in mind that Stein was an excellent coach during his time at the school.

"I was able to see Mr. Stein coach this summer. He did a great job," Oddo said.

Because the board had not been scheduled to discuss Stein's firing, its members could not respond to comments from the audience or take any action Thursday.