Dan Nienaber
LE CENTER — A Le Center School Board vote to hire a controversial coach for the high school’s girls basketball team and boys and girls track team has resulted in one board member’s resignation.
Ann Traxler was one of three School Board members who blocked a school recommendation to renew Scott William Bernard’s contract as the girls volleyball coach earlier this year. It was a close vote that split the six-member board in half, resulting in a 3-3 vote that followed closed-door meetings.
One of the members voting against hiring Bernard, Kathy Novotny, resigned in April. So, when athletic director Ken Helland made a new recommendation to hire Bernard for the basketball and track coaching positions during last week’s meeting, it passed 3-2. Traxler responded by resigning immediately.
Bernard, 36, has been the Le Center volleyball, basketball and track coach for the past three years.
“The liability of that vote is too large for me to continue,” Traxler said Wednesday.
It was Bernard’s past, including a conviction for providing alcohol to an 18-year-old former student and the suspension of his teaching license, that had split the board. That came to light when Traxler explained why she was resigning. She said Wednesday she’s concerned those incidents, which happened while Bernard was teaching in Janesville, could become a liability for the school if something happens while he’s working in Le Center.
Traxler said Bernard’s situation in Janesville wasn’t fully explained when he was hired as a coach three years ago.
Bernard was arrested in July 2004 after a woman called Janesville police and said she was worried about an 18-year-old woman she had last seen at a street dance in New Richland. The former student had been drinking beer with Bernard, the caller reported.
A Janesville police officer reported the woman was clearly intoxicated when he found her at about 6 a.m. the following morning. She and Bernard later told the officer Bernard had bought several beers for both of them at the street dance before driving back to Janesville with the woman as a passenger.
Bernard eventually pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and providing alcohol to an underage person.
As a result, Bernard received a letter of reprimand and a one-week suspension from the Janesville School District in December 2004. It wasn’t until January 2006 that the Minnesota Board of Teaching reached an agreement with Bernard to have his teaching license suspended until January 2009. Bernard cannot have his teaching license reinstated until one of two psychologists files a consent form saying he is fit to teach.
He also agreed to sign a consent form authorizing the Minnesota Board of Teaching’s executive director to review a psychological evaluation completed by those doctors.
While teaching a girls basketball camp at the Le Center High School on Wednesday, Bernard said the entire controversy boils down to disgruntled parents who aren’t happy about the playing time their children are receiving.
“Members of the School Board wanted to get rid of me because of playing time,” he said. “That didn’t work, so now they’re trying to take things from my past and twist them around.
“I have the full support of the administration and the full support of the athletic director. I have nothing to hide. I’ve been here three years and I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Bernard’s brother, 36-year-old Troy Michael Bernard, was convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old student he had been coaching in Montgomery. Traxler said her decision to resign from the board had nothing to do with Bernard’s brother, only her concerns about liability issues.
Parents of the girl assaulted by Troy Bernard filed a federal lawsuit against the Montgomery School District in March, saying the district was partially responsible for the assault.
