CLEAR LAKE – Clear Lake School District Superintendent Anita Micich followed up today with questions NIT asked about a $50,000 payment made to a miscellaneous source that turned out to be a payoff for a bullying complaint filed with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
NIT first asked about the payment on July 12th when an NIT reader left a voice message asking for NIT to investigate the payment.
Friday morning, July 18th, Dr. Micich responded: “I have been on vacation. In response to your request related to the $50,000 payment from the Clear Lake School District, attached is the Settlement Agreement and Release document related to the Iowa Civil Rights Complaint resolution.”
NIT reported on the payment yesterday, when the Clear Lake Mirror first reported that the Clear Lake School District had reached an agreement with the family of a teen who was bullied while he played football for the Clear Lake Lions under coach Fred Wieck. The victim will receive an apology letter from Wieck and $50,000.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: A thank you to Dr. Micich for taking the time to answer our fair questions about open records regarding this public school district.
It’s amazing how many people are blaming the school district for paying out $50,000 as if they support bullying. Sometimes when you muck up, ya gotta pay up. I’m glad the kids parents sued. This kind of thing has got to happen or bullying idiots will never stop.
I have had several friends from Clear Lake who have had boys play football who said this is the way Weick operates and has gotten away with it because they win games. They said a few of the other coaches act the same way and say some extremely inappropriate things to the boys but people are scared to pursue things because of backlash and blackballing by the coaches. If those things are indeed true that is awful. I do not know how this man is not cut loose once and for all from coaching kids.
I think it’s pretty classy for NIT to publicly thank Dr. Micich for answering their question. But…I have to wonder if the Clear Lake School District would have ever mentioned any more than they originally did, (in the expenditures /claims) if NIT hadn’t asked the question in the first place???
As always, sun-shine is the best disinfectant.
Good job Matt.
The real questions here are 1 what gives the superintendant the authority to write a $50,000 dollar check without we the taxpayers having a say and two why is this coach still employed at the school? As I have had a run in with this person many years ago over a bulling situation that envolved my child some 12 years ago this is a constant problem.Pandora’s box has now been open, good luck closing it.
Herein lies another of society’s absurdities:this coach more than likely bullied countless other children in his 20 year tenure, so this one family receives $50K, while the other kids receive nothing. I’m glad to see an asshole brought under control, but like the recipient of the outlandish McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit,I don’t see how some are entitled to big bucks, while others get nothing. Shouldn’t an investigation be done so that others receive compensation as well, or share it?
It’d be like telling the sexual abuse victims of Jerry Sandusky that only ONE of them was going to be helped, and the others would just need to “suck it up” (no pun intended). How about the Catholic Priest scandals? Face it Clear Lake, Sandusky didn’t stop at one victim as coach, and I’m sure this guy didn’t either. Get out the checkbook and settle this the correct way. Now with that said, I’d like to experience this guy’s “bullysim” firsthand to see if I see it that way.
I suppose the question to ask is: at what point does a tough coach cross the line and become a bully.
I am not from Clearlake or do I have any personal connection to Clearlake school system or football team. With that being said I have heard from parents whose kids go to the school that coach Wieck is the biggest bully on the football team. This may or may not be true and I have only heard this secondhand. Has anyone else heard anything similar about coach Wieck?
Outstanding investigative reporting. Thank you.
That’s far from the only kid treated very poorly on that team. My son couldn’t take their abuse any more and refused to go back. The coaches all closed their eyes to it and so did the principal.