Forced haircut of student wrestler detailed in police report
In November, 2017, police investigated an incident involving a Thomas Jefferson Middle School wrestler which is now at the center of a lawsuit against the school district and the coach at the time.
Alexander Whelan, who was dismissed from his coaching position in December 2017, is accused in the lawsuit of forcibly cutting the hair of a seventh grade student. The allegations listed in the petition include assault, false imprisonment, bullying and harassment and violations of the Missouri Human Rights Act.
ABC 17 News on Friday acquired a police report that provides a glimpse into what happened the day of the haircut.
The victim’s mother called the Jefferson City Police Department after the incident and told officers she did not want any students to get into trouble but that she wanted to pursue assault charges against Whelan.
The incident occurred before the school wrestling team traveled to a match at Blair Oaks Middle School. Whelan told the victim that his hair was too long and needed to be cut to be within regulation.
The victim said he did not want to cut his hair for the match, according to lawsuit and police report, and wanted to forfeit the match instead of doing so.
A wrestler’s hair must not cover their ears, according to Missouri State High School Athletics Association spokesman Jason West. If an athlete’s natural hair covers their ears, they must wear an appropriate head cover in order to compete, West said.
According to the police report, the victim was aware that he could have worn a cover but was told one was not available.
Jefferson City Public Schools spokeswoman Ryan Burns said the district has no policy regulating the length of wrestlers’ hair.
The police report and civil suit say Whelan then retrieved scissors and told the victim to cut his own hair. After taking too long to cut his own hair, Whelan took the scissors and students held down the victim so Whelan could cut it himself.
“None of (the students) were attempting to hurt (the victim), and said they only wanted to make sure he could participate in the wrestling meet,” according to the police report.
The lawsuit, however, alleges Whelan “instructed” the students to hold the victim down, but the police report said they voluntarily held him without any direction.
“None of the students remembered Whelan saying ‘get him’ or ‘hold him’. They claimed that they did that on their own free will,” the police report said. “The only direction (the students) were given from Whelan was when Whelan said ‘If you don’t cut your hair I’ll cut it for you.'”
Police chose not to recommend charges against Whelan. “The investigation did not produce the necessary criteria (to recommend charges),” JCPD Lt. David Williams said.
JCPS denounced the coach’s behavior after the lawsuit was filed one week ago.
The way this student was treated is wholly incompatible with district expectations for staff conduct. We have not, and will not, tolerate this type of unacceptable behavior from anyone on our staff.
The district has no policy that would require the cutting of a male or female wrestler’s hair, and as soon as the district became aware of this incident we investigated and took appropriate action.
Chris Miller, an attorney representing the victim and mother, said Whelan’s dismissal is not enough.
The School District has over 1,200 employees and the mere termination of one coach provides no assurance to either my client or this community that the School District’s failures and broken policies in the hiring, training, and supervision of its employees, which resulted in the abuse of my client, has been adequately addressed or fixed.”
Williams said Thursday that the department does not have plans at this time to recommend charges against Whelan.
No hearing has been scheduled in the lawsuit.
