Marc Henson, M.D.

7301 Stacy Circle

Amarillo, TX 79121
(806) 674-7691

February 27, 2019

Texas Education Agency

Attn: Complaints, Investigations, and Enforcement Division
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-1494

Dear TEA members,

I am filing a formal complaint regarding multiple members

of the Amarillo Independent School District (AISD). The most
concerning of these members is an AISD Board Trustee, Renee’
McCown. Trustee McCown has used her position of power to benefit
her two high school daughters, and when this was no longer
tolerated, she used her influence for retaliation.

Background
Kori Clements was hired on or around February 2018 to be
the volleyball coach at Amarillo High School (AHS). Coach
Clements is a graduate of AISD, specifically of AHS, and
replaced the legendary Jan Barker after her 31 year career. She
has previously coached another school to the Texas high school
state volleyball championship game, and this year even coached
AHS’s volleyball team to the regional state tournament. Coach
Clements was both successful in her first year and admired in
the community. Dignity and honesty have stood out as her most
esteemed personal traits. She is a product of Amarillo and one
of our own. Unfortunately, Coach Clements was informed that her
probationary contract would not be renewed. Publicly, she
resigned last month with a statement that defines her strong

1
character. Our community is outraged, and is left wanting
answers. Her statement reads:
For a variety of reasons, I have recently resigned from my
position as AHS volleyball coach, effective at the end of my contract.
I want to be clear, I have not violated any district or UIL standards,
and have upheld the teacher code of ethics at all times. As I have
contemplated this decision over the past several days, I have been
overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from current and former
players and parents as well as my professional peers. I am so thankful
for the success we’ve experienced and the many positive relationships
that have developed.

As a coach, playing time decisions are always difficult.

Unfortunately, upon making these decisions in the best interest of team
success, I was not supported by athletic, campus, or district
administration. I was told by campus administration that I needed to
recognize the political aspect of my job, and also of theirs. I cannot
and will not compromise the integrity of my decisions based on a
parent’s political pressure or position. I believe strongly in the
value of athletics, that being a part of a team is a privilege, and
playing time is earned.

I’m hopeful that AISD will be able to hire an experienced coach

with the courage to make the tough playing time decisions and the
technical expertise to push our returning players. Next year’s team has
the potential to play for a State Championship, and I will be
enthusiastically supporting them in their journey.

My husband and I will welcome our daughter this summer and look
forward to making our growing family our top priority.

Complaints
Since her statement, many facts and points of common
knowledge have come to bear. Although at risk of further
retribution, Coach Clements has provided some statements at my
request. Trustee McCown has had incidents of inappropriate
contact with Coach Clements, especially as a school board
member. Trustee McCown has either gone to Coach Clements’ home
or has talked with her directly by phone on multiple occasions.

2
These interactions involved discussing Coach Clements’ coaching
decisions and athletes’ playing times on the volleyball team,
specifically relating to her two daughters. Even more shocking
was Trustee McCown’s questioning of the performance and playing
time of other players on the team and suggesting changes to
allow her daughter more scoring opportunities. I bring up the
actions of Trustee McCown’s husband, Scott McCown, in order to
provide you a better understanding of the pervasive harassment.
Scott McCown contacted the coach the morning after a district
loss at 6:30 a.m., under the guise of an “emergency”, only to
subsequently scold Coach Clements for her coaching decisions and
then hang up on her. (Clements, Ex. A,B) Signed parent rules and
procedures were disregarded by the McCowns although the other
parents respected their pledge during the season. Despite
Trustee McCown’s position within the district, Coach Clements
eventually made it clear to Trustee McCown that her repeated
violations of school policy could no longer be allowed.
(Clements, Ex. B) Trustee McCown then, however, took her agenda
further. The McCowns, it seems, used the power of Trustee to
influence district administrators, either directly or
indirectly, in an effort to force Coach Clements out. Trustee
McCown asserted that Coach Clements had become “unapproachable”
and a poor communicator when she felt her direct influence on
the volleyball coach was in peril. Detailed further in this
report, it becomes clear that many others feared this
retaliation. (Clements, Ex. C,D) When Coach Clements elected to
ignore this influence she was ultimately let go of her position.
This blatant meddling and abuse of power by an elected official
cannot stand. The following are some of the ethical and legal
violations that I charge Trustee McCown with:
As a member of the Board, I shall promote the best interests of the
District as a whole and, to that end, shall adhere to the following
ethical standards:

 I will be fair, just, and impartial in all my decisions and actions.

 I will accord others the respect I wish for myself.

 I will make no personal promise or take private action that may

compromise my performance or my responsibilities.
 I will consistently uphold all applicable laws, rules, policies, and
governance procedures.
 I commit to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including
proper use of authority and appropriate decorum.
 I will avoid personal involvement in activities the Board has
delegated to the Superintendent.

3
 I will lead by example and be a role model to the students of the
District. I will not engage in behavior that would knowingly harm the
District (e.g., moral turpitude, dishonesty, public intoxication,
criminal behavior, or official misconduct).
Amarillo ISD BBF (LOCAL) & TASB website
A public servant shall not, with intent to obtain a benefit or with
intent to harm or defraud another, intentionally or knowingly violate a
law relating to the office or misuse District property, services,
personnel, or any other thing of value, belonging to the District, that
has come into his or her custody by virtue of his or her office or
employment. [Penal Code 39.02(a)]
Amarillo ISD BBFB (LEGAL) & Penal Code 39.01(1)
Examples of retaliation may include termination, refusal to hire,
demotion, and denial of promotion. Retaliation may also include
threats, unjustified negative evaluations, unjustified negative
references, or increased surveillance.

In this policy, the term “prohibited conduct” includes discrimination,

harassment, and retaliation as defined by this policy, even if the
behavior does not rise to the level of unlawful conduct.
Amarillo ISD DIA (LOCAL)
A public servant shall not, with intent to obtain a benefit or with
intent to harm or defraud another, intentionally or knowingly violate a
law relating to the public servant’s office or employment, or misuse
district property, services, personnel, or any other thing of value,
that has come into his or her custody or possession by virtue of his or
her office or employment. [Penal Code 39.02(a)]
Amarillo ISD DBD (LEGAL)
The Framework for School Board Development outlines the vision,
structure, accountability, advocacy, and unity needed to provide local
educational programs and services that will promote excellence in
student academic achievement. The framework was originally adopted by
the State Board of Education in January 1996 and was revised by the
SBOE in July 2012.

 Individual board members should not have individual agendas

separate and apart from the shared vision.
 The board fulfills the statutory duties of the local board of
trustees and upholds all laws, rules, ethical procedures, and court
orders pertaining to schools and school employees.
 The board makes decisions as a whole only at properly called
meetings and recognizes that individual members have no authority
to take individual action in policy or district and campus
administrative matters.
Framework for School Board Development, TEA Website

Area concern skyrocketed after Coach Clements’ public

resignation. Many members of our community spoke at the next

4
AISD school board meeting, on January 22, 2019. 10 members of
the current AHS volleyball team were present to show support for
Clements, 2 of which spoke, along with myself and many others.
The board room was standing room only. Most attendees were
dismayed by the lack of school board member attention during the
open comments section. The board flat refused to look at the
speakers who chose to speak about Clements’ contract non-renewal
and the misconduct of Trustee McCown. I pursued this issue
further by personally meeting Trustee Cristy Wilkinson for
discussion of my concerns days later. The Board appears to be a
close knit group that does not want to question one of their
own. They represent each other more than the citizens they
represent. I realize other board members were not directly
involved with the actions of Trustee McCown. I believe, however,
that they have an obligation to respond to public concern and
investigate credible charges of Trustee and administration
misconduct. To that point, little oversight of the policy and
procedural failures by this Board, over AISD Interim
Superintendent Doug Loomis, discussed later, spotlights either
reckless indifference or gross incompetence. Ultimately the
Board should have acted in some way on this multilayered
deviance from acceptable norms in order to uphold integrity and
policy. In addition to Trustee McCown, the Board includes Mr.
F. Scott Flow, Mr. John Ben Blanchard, Mr. Jim Austin, Mr. John
Betancourt, Ms. Robin R. Malone, and Mrs. Cristy Wilkinson. I
charge the entire sitting AISD school board with ethical
violations and failure of leadership and oversight of the school
district that include:
As a member of the Board, I shall promote the best interests of the
District as a whole and, to that end, shall adhere to the following
ethical standards:

 I will be fair, just, and impartial in all my decisions and actions.

 I will consistently uphold all applicable laws, rules, policies, and
governance procedures.
Amarillo ISD BBF (LOCAL) & TASB website
The Framework for School Board Development outlines the vision,
structure, accountability, advocacy, and unity needed to provide local
educational programs and services that will promote excellence in
student academic achievement. The framework was originally adopted by
the State Board of Education in January 1996 and was revised by the
SBOE in July 2012.

 Individual board members should not have individual agendas

separate and apart from the shared vision.
 The board fulfills the statutory duties of the local board of
trustees and upholds all laws, rules, ethical procedures, and court
orders pertaining to schools and school employees.

5
  The board adopts policies and standards for hiring, assigning,
appraising, terminating, and compensating school district personnel
in compliance with state laws and rules.
 The board ensures an effective two-way communication system between
the district and its students, parents, employees, media, and the
community.
 The board establishes and follows local policies, procedures, and
ethical standards governing the conduct and operations of the
board.
 The board understands and adheres to laws and local policies about
the board's responsibility to set policy and the superintendent's
responsibility to manage the school district and to direct
employees in district and campus matters.
 The board adopts and adheres to established policies and procedures
for receiving and addressing ideas and concerns from students,
parents, employees, and the community.
 The board makes decisions as a whole only at properly called
meetings and recognizes that individual members have no authority
to take individual action in policy or district and campus
administrative matters.
Framework for School Board Development, TEA Website

Trustee McCown could not have caused the termination of

Coach Clements without the failures of other administrators
within AISD. Interim Superintendent Doug Loomis was appointed
around October 1, 2018. Mr. Loomis has made it public and clear
that he wants the role of Superintendent of AISD. He now works
closely with the AISD school board to win their support.
Unfortunately, when he was given information regarding the
unfair and unethical practices of a current Trustee, and
failures of administrators he oversees, he elected to not
fulfill his duties as superintendent. A 27 page file of well-
kept evidence has been seemingly ignored. Coach Clements
maintained contemporaneous notes and transcribed conversations
as her own personal employment journal throughout her post. This
information was emailed to Interim Superintendent Loomis at his
request. All of the information in this complaint, and much
more, has been in the possession of Interim Superintendent
Loomis. It is rather sinister that no follow-up discussions with
Coach Clements were attempted, and that no internal
investigation of wrongdoing was undertaken. (Clements, Ex. C)
His decision not to renew an AISD employee’s contract based on
political pressures is a failure of duty, even if the contract
was probationary. In order to win the favor of the current
school board, Mr. Loomis has ignored his obligations to the
people of this district. It again appears the path of least
resistance lead to negligent permission. The following are some

6
of the many ethical and legal violations that I charge Interim
Superintendent Loomis with:
A superintendent is the educational leader and chief executive officer of
a district. Education Code 11.201(a)

The duties of a superintendent include:

Assuming administrative authority and responsibility for the assignment,

supervision, and evaluation of all personnel of a district other than
the superintendent.
Managing the day-to-day operations of a district as its administrative
manager, including implementing and monitoring plans, procedures,
programs, and systems to achieve clearly defined and desired results in
major areas of district operations.
Amarillo ISD BJA (LEGAL)
The Texas educator shall comply with standard practices and ethical
conduct toward students, professional colleagues, school officials,
parents, and members of the community and shall safeguard academic
freedom. The Texas educator, in maintaining the dignity of the
profession, shall respect and obey the law, demonstrate personal
integrity, and exemplify honesty. The Texas educator, in exemplifying
ethical relations with colleagues, shall extend just and equitable
treatment to all members of the profession. The Texas educator, in
accepting a position of public trust, shall measure success by the
progress of each student toward realization of his or her potential as an
effective citizen. The Texas educator, in fulfilling responsibilities in
the community, shall cooperate with parents and others to improve the
public schools of the community. 19 TAC 247.1

1. Professional Ethical Conduct, Practices, and Performance

Standard 1.1. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or

recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies
of the school district, educational institution, educator preparation
program, the Texas Education Agency, or the State Board for Educator
Certification (SBEC) and its certification process.
Standard 1.7. The educator shall comply with state regulations,
written local school board policies, and other state and federal
laws.
Standard 1.10. The educator shall be of good moral character and be
worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state.

2. Ethical Conduct Toward Professional Colleagues

Standard 2.3. The educator shall adhere to written local school board
policies and state and federal laws regarding the hiring, evaluation,
and dismissal of personnel.
Amarillo ISD DH (EXHIBIT) [Educators’ Code of Ethics]

(2) Ethical Conduct Toward Professional Colleagues.

7
 (C) Standard 2.3. The educator shall adhere to written local
school board policies and state and federal laws regarding the
hiring, evaluation, and dismissal of personnel.
§247.2. Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas
Educators.

The narrative of Coach Clements’ employment problems

finishes with the reckless disregard of other AISD
administrators. As you look at the actions and quotes of the men
involved, please mind the fact that a woman’s career is at
stake. First, AISD Athletic Director (AD) Brad Thiessen not only
failed in his official duties, but he makes a statement that
points out the obvious: the McCowns are the reason Coach
Clements’ contract was terminated. He admits knowing of Coach
Clements fate for “2 or 3 months”. AD Thiessen clearly states
that Coach Clements needed to repair her relationship with
“them” to keep her job. (Clements, Ex. D) It is appalling that
the only way for Coach Clements to continue her dream job was to
succumb to Trustee McCown’s request for how and how much to play
her daughters and other players. You will find NO actual proof
otherwise.
Next, AHS Campus Athletic Director and head football coach
Chad Dunnam opens up to Coach Clements. He confirms once again
that the McCowns, or the “clientele”, go over his head, where he
then gets tasked to look into the complaints regarding Coach
Clements. (Clements, Ex. D)
The more complicit seems to be AHS Principal David Vincent.
He makes a point to warn Coach Clements “there is a political
component to what we do”. He follows that with an admission that
ignoring the political pressures from Trustee McCown will “eat
us alive”. (Clements, Ex. D) Actions of Principal Vincent
unfortunately reveal his involvement in these catastrophic
decisions. He met with Coach Clements on several occasions
regarding the complaints levied by the McCowns. In these
meetings he remained vague, though he charged Coach Clements to
improve. Again, Coach Clements’ problems seemed to be no longer
discussing coaching decisions with Trustee McCown, although it
was presented as her being “unapproachable”. Principal Vincent
wanted improvement, but never verbalized what improvement was,
or anything she needed to do. Coach Clements even implored that
she could not formulate a solution to a problem that no one
could, or would, identify. In a single meeting with Principal
Vincent, Coach Clements asked at least eighteen times for
feedback, clarity, and solutions to the implied improvements her
8
supervisors reportedly wanted. No answer was ever given. I
believe that zero action plans were requested from or given to
Coach Clements. It is apparent now that no other actions,
outside of allowing control of the volleyball team, were ever
actually needed or wanted. It is no surprise that Principal
Vincent was charged with presenting Coach Clements the non-
renewal of her contract. The reason he gave to Coach Clements
for her release is unconscionable: Coach Clements did not follow
a given directive. It is my position that these specific school
administrators, in an effort to protect their careers or pay
back favors, recklessly and intentionally misrepresented their
professional opinions. I charge them with failed leadership and
breaching ethical standards, including the following:
Standard 2--Human Capital. The principal is responsible for ensuring
there are high-quality teachers and staff in every classroom and
throughout the school.
(A) Knowledge and skills.
(i) Effective leaders of human capital:
(I) treat faculty/staff members as their most valuable resource
and invest in the development, support, and supervision of the staff;
(II) ensure all staff have clear goals and expectations that
guide them and by which they are assessed;
(IV) ensure that, once hired, teachers develop and grow by
building layered supports that include regular observations, actionable
feedback, and coaching and school-wide supports so that teachers know
how they are performing;
(VII) use data from multiple points of the year to complete
accurate evaluations of all staff, using evidence from regular
observations, student data, and other sources to evaluate the
effectiveness of teachers and staff.
(ii) In schools with effective leaders of human capital, staff
understand how they are being evaluated and what the expectations
are for their performance. Staff can identify areas of strength
and have opportunities to practice and receive feedback on growth
areas from the leadership team and peers. Staff evaluation data
show variation based on effectiveness but also show improvement
across years as development and retention efforts take effect.
Across the school, staff support each other's development through
regular opportunities for collaboration, and effective staff have
access to a variety of leadership roles in the school.
(B) Indicators.
(ii) Tailored development, feedback, and coaching. The principal
coaches and develops teachers by giving individualized feedback
and aligned professional development opportunities.
(iv) Systematic evaluation and supervision. The principal
conducts rigorous evaluations of all staff using multiple data
sources.
Texas Administrative Code, RULE §149.2001
The Texas educator shall comply with standard practices and ethical
conduct toward students, professional colleagues, school officials,
parents, and members of the community and shall safeguard academic

9
 freedom. The Texas educator, in maintaining the dignity of the
profession, shall respect and obey the law, demonstrate personal
integrity, and exemplify honesty. The Texas educator, in exemplifying
ethical relations with colleagues, shall extend just and equitable
treatment to all members of the profession. The Texas educator, in
accepting a position of public trust, shall measure success by the
progress of each student toward realization of his or her potential as an
effective citizen. The Texas educator, in fulfilling responsibilities in
the community, shall cooperate with parents and others to improve the
public schools of the community. 19 TAC 247.1

1. Professional Ethical Conduct, Practices, and Performance

Standard 1.1. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or

recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies
of the school district, educational institution, educator preparation
program, the Texas Education Agency, or the State Board for Educator
Certification (SBEC) and its certification process.
Standard 1.4. The educator shall not use institutional or
professional privileges for personal or partisan advantage.
Standard 1.7. The educator shall comply with state regulations,
written local school board policies, and other state and federal
laws.
Standard 1.10. The educator shall be of good moral character and be
worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state.

2. Ethical Conduct Toward Professional Colleagues

Standard 2.3. The educator shall adhere to written local school board
policies and state and federal laws regarding the hiring, evaluation,
and dismissal of personnel.
Amarillo ISD DH (EXHIBIT) [Educators’ Code of Ethics]

In conclusion, I understand the complexity that systemic

failures can present. Especially when the initiating problem is
a school board Trustee, presenting as a mad mother of two
athletes and having a bone to pick with the coach. This behavior
slowly evolved into retribution through a complex pattern of
collusion, harassment, intimidation, and possibly coercion. Her
conduct over the past year was incompatible with her role as an
AISD board member and contrary to Board policy. Even more
disappointing were the stepwise failures of duty and ethics of
the administration over Coach Clements. As a concerned citizen
of Amarillo, Texas, and a 3rd generation AHS graduate, I question
the stability of the educational system my children are being
subjected to, especially in sports and extracurricular
activities. Both of my children will attend AHS in the coming
years, each becoming 4th generation AHS Sandies. They need to
know that political bullying will not be tolerated. I want my

10
children to always understand that playing time is between the
players and their coach. I charge the TEA with contacting Coach
Kori Clements for more information regarding her employment.
Please ask the officials of AISD for any written directives,
warnings, or charges given to Coach Clements. There are none. A
probationary contract does not excuse the unethical violations
of policy and procedure by members of our district. I ask that
you investigate the individuals involved, and remove or
reprimand those that you find have failed our community.

Thank You,

Marc Henson, M.D.

11