news-record.com

GREENSBORO -- The Guilford County School board voted 9-1 Thursday night to fire Louis Lawson, the Northern High School custodian who resigned two weeks ago along with the school's principal and athletic director just as the school system began an investigation into Northern's athletic department. Lawson rescinded his resignation the next week, saying he had done nothing wrong.

The school board took the vote after meeting in closed session for nearly an hour, ending the meeting after 1 a.m. Friday. Board member Carlvena Foster cast the lone “no” vote but declined to comment.

Board member Deena Hayes attended the rest of the meeting via conference call but was not on the line to cast a vote on the Lawson issue.

The wording of the motion indicated Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green recommended the board fire Lawson. Green declined to comment on the matter.

Sources have told the News & Record that the school system’s investigation centers on Northern’s football, boys basketball and baseball programs.No board member would comment on the vote.

Principal Joe Yeager and Athletics Director Derrell Force resigned April 10 along with the school's head custodian Louis Lawson. But Lawson last week rescinded that resignation, setting up a possible legal showdown with Guilford County Schools.

Lawson said last week that school officials “interrogated” him for several hours over three days before giving him a choice: resign or be fired. Lawson said he resigned under the stress of several lengthy interviews but later reconsidered.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said. “They can’t get me for job performance. They can’t get me for attendance. So I’ve decided to let them fire me.”

Earlier Thursday evening officials confirmed that all non-faculty coaches whose sports are not in season are banned from Northern Guilford High School pending the completion of an investigation into undisclosed issues involving the athletics department. The coaches have been banned since Tuesday.

About a dozen parents attended the Guilford County Board of Education meeting to note their disappointment with central office officials they felt were mishandling the investigation by not being open and allowing too much media exposure on the issue.

Terry Christian is the Northern varsity cheerleading coach. She questioned why only Northern's athletic department is being investigated.

"What gives them the right to pick us out but not the other schools," she said.

Christian said the ban on coaches is hard on those who need to work with athletes during this offseason. School officials need to move quicker and provide a time line for the investigation.

"Give us answers because we're devastated and our community needs healing," she said.

All of the parents left well before the Lawson vote occurred.