Stagg cheerleading coach terminated over 'profane' text message with student
Bridget Guzior
Bridget Guzior  the 29-year-old head cheerleading coach at Stagg High School in Palos Hills   had been suspended without pay since Aug. 30 after a text  she  sent a student athlete less than two weeks earlier was brought to the district's attention.
The text message in question  according to a notice of dismissal the district sent  Guzior  on Oct. 17 that was provided to the Daily Southtown by  her  legal team  reads as follows:
The board's statement goes on to say that  Guzior 's "failure to attend a required investigatory conference" and  her  "inadequate recordkeeping in connection with the cheer program" also contributed to the board decision to terminate  her  employment.
The cheerleading coach and  her  attorney Tom Skallas did not attend Tuesday's special meeting  but did provide a written response to the board's charges that laid out their side of the story.
In that letter  which the Southtown obtained from  Guzior 's legal team  Skallas wrote that  Guzior  had been hospitalized days before the scheduled investigatory conference and that attending the meeting "would have further exacerbated Coach Guzior's health issues." He wrote that  Guzior  offered to provide answers to the district's questions in writing  only to be rebuffed.
Skallas also rebutted the board's accusation that  Guzior  had failed to maintain accurate records of the cheerleading program's accounts  writing  "At no time have district officials provided  Coach Guzior  with any specific allegations that any accounts were inappropriately handled."
In its prepared statement  the board conceded that while  Guzior 's recordkeeping "violated district policies and establish (sic) procedures " that "no financial improprieties have been alleged or found."
The district did not immediately respond to a request for evidence of  Guzior 's "inadequate" recordkeeping.
Orloff said his and his son's experience with  Guzior  had been "absolutely fantastic " and credited  her  for turning around the school's cheerleading program.
" She  has motivated (my son) to excel  not only in athletics but in his scholastics " he said. " She  actually cares about every member of that team  how they do  what their futures are  helps promote the children for colleges.  She  goes above and beyond  which I have not seen in too many coaches over the years."
Orloff said his primary hope going forward is that the district applies the standard it applied to  Guzior  to all of  its  coaches.
[TGT]the 29-year-old head cheerleading coach at Stagg High School in Palos Hills   had been suspended without pay since Aug. 30 after a text  [TGT]  sent a student athlete less than two weeks earlier was brought to the district's attention.
The text message in question  according to a notice of dismissal the district sent  Guzior  on Oct. 17 that was provided to the Daily Southtown by  her  legal team  reads as follows:
The board's statement goes on to say that  [TGT] 's "failure to attend a required investigatory conference" and  her  "inadequate recordkeeping in connection with the cheer program" also contributed to the board decision to terminate  her  employment.
The cheerleading coach and  her  attorney Tom Skallas did not attend Tuesday's special meeting  but did provide a written response to the board's charges that laid out their side of the story.
In that letter  which the Southtown obtained from  Guzior 's legal team  Skallas wrote that  Guzior  had been hospitalized days before the scheduled investigatory conference and that attending the meeting "would have further exacerbated Coach Guzior's health issues." He wrote that  Guzior  offered to provide answers to the district's questions in writing  only to be rebuffed.
Skallas also rebutted the board's accusation that  Guzior  had failed to maintain accurate records of the cheerleading program's accounts  writing  "At no time have district officials provided  Coach Guzior  with any specific allegations that any accounts were inappropriately handled."
In its prepared statement  the board conceded that while  Guzior 's recordkeeping "violated district policies and establish (sic) procedures " that "no financial improprieties have been alleged or found."
The district did not immediately respond to a request for evidence of  Guzior 's "inadequate" recordkeeping.
Orloff said his and his son's experience with  Guzior  had been "absolutely fantastic " and credited  her  for turning around the school's cheerleading program.
" She  has motivated (my son) to excel  not only in athletics but in his scholastics " he said. " She  actually cares about every member of that team  how they do  what their futures are  helps promote the children for colleges.  She  goes above and beyond  which I have not seen in too many coaches over the years."
Orloff said his primary hope going forward is that the district applies the standard it applied to  Guzior  to all of  its  coaches.