HS Coach Fired For Inappropriate Relations, Cash For Grades

((HT: Louisville Courier-Journal/Kenning))

Jefferson County Public Schools has fired the girls basketball coach for Butler High School for having an inappropriate relationship with a female student — and for taking money from students who wanted to avoid running in his gym class, according to a district investigation released Monday.

Michael Eddy Wilson ((pictured, thanks Jamie Rhodes/Louisville Courier-Journal file)), whose team won the state championship in 2008, was found to have exchanged more than 555 text messages and calls with the girl, totaling 5,399 minutes between mid-December 2008 and mid-April 2009, including 74 that occurred between midnight and 8 a.m.

Officials say Wilson, who also taught physical education at Butler, told a co-worker that he took the female student on a ski trip to Paoli Peaks ski area, which Wilson later denied. But he was fired Thursday for “conduct unbecoming a teacher,” according to his termination letter.

The district would not identify the student or give her age or grade.

“We weren't able to verify there was a physical relationship. However, based on all the information, we were able to verify there was an inappropriate relationship,” said district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts, who added that the girl was not a member of the basketball team.

District officials said their findings were forwarded to the county's child-protective services, but as of Monday, police had not launched a criminal investigation, said Dwight Mitchell, a metro police spokesman.

Asked if officials had interviewed members of the girls basketball team to check for other possibly inappropriate relationships, Roberts declined to answer, saying only that “all relevant witnesses” were contacted and no other problems were uncovered.

The district investigation did find that the teacher was taking $3 from students who wanted to skip running in gym class. Nearly 100 students told officials they had paid money to avoid running, or knew students who did. Investigators found more than $1,000 in Wilson's desk.

The report said Wilson acknowledged in an interview that the payments also helped improve their grades, but he said he was going to use the money for the girls' basketball team to play in summer leagues.

Bennett Haeberle has the latest from in front of Butler High in Louisville
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