The high school coach claims she was fired after she reportedly sent an email to the school district administrators about gender bullying and harassment of students in high school athletics. The volleyball coach, who also taught physical education, claims she was fired for speaking up about coaches harassing female students. Now, she has filed a lawsuit against the school district and is asking to be reinstated.
Stacy Fulgenzi, Robertson High School head volleyball coach, told KRQE News that in April 2019, she was approached by the female athletes on the tennis team who told her they were being verbally harassed and treated unfairly.
The former high school coach reportedly send an email to the school district administrators about the allegations.
In less than a month, the high school coach was demoted and moved to the middle school.
Few months later, the woman said she was fired after a school fundraiser.
The high school coach claims it is because the money raised was not deposited into a district account within 24 hours.
Now, the high school volleyball coach from Nevada has filed a lawsuit.
Fulgenzi’s attorney Jacob Candelaria, told KRQE News:
“Gender bullying and harassment of students in high school athletics. Those days are over. Those adults that abuse their positions of power over students, need to be held accountable.
Because at the same time they claim my client violated this 24-hour turnover policy, another male coach in the district did the same thing. In fact, held a fundraiser and didn’t turn the money over for at least a week.
The timeline in this case clearly illustrates that the motivating factor for the district’s retaliation was my client’s whistle blower. three days after she first blew the whistle, she was demoted and within months she was fired.”
According to Candelaria, the lawsuit is filed against the superintendent and the athletic director.
Per KRQE News, the high school coach is seeking two times the amount of back pay and other damages.
The coach is also asking to be reinstated.
The former Robertson Head Coach is now leading the WLV Lady Dons.
This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.