Cheerleader coach vs. McKinney ISD saga nearing end

by Rodney Williams of McKinneyNews.net

It may seem as though the saga of Michaela Ward vs. the McKinney Independent School District will go on forever, but surely an end is in sight.

The end is near, at least for the MISD, according to attorney Charles Crawford.

"We are very close to finalizing an agreement with Mrs. Ward's attorneys," said Crawford on Friday.

Ward, the former McKinney North High School cheerleader sponsor, originally filed suit on Sept. 18, 2007 claiming wrongful termination and defamation of character from her teaching position at North. She dropped the lawsuit on Nov. 16, but the parties named as defendants, including former North principal Linda Theret and former North assistant principal Richard Brunner, filed motions to recover attorney fees.

Theret and Brunner were successful in their attempts as 219th Judicial District Court Judge Curt Henderson signed orders stating that attorneys for Theret and Brunner were to be awarded fees totaling $32,815.98 in the case. Theret and attorney Dennis Eichelbaum were awarded $14,071.07, while Brunner and his attorney, Richard Davis, were awarded $18,744.91.

The school district's motion for sanctions was not heard by Judge Henderson as he guided both parties into outside settlement talks. After talks had seemingly stalled, a hearing was set for Jan. 28 to try and resolve the matter. Days before the hearing, however, Crawford and the MISD took their motion off the court docket.

"We are in settlement negotiations with Mrs. Ward's attorneys, and the district is intent on moving on, so we took the motions for sanctions off the docket," explained Crawford.

Crawford was trying to recover $14,750 in attorney fees. Ward, in an e-mail to McKinneyNews.net in December, stated that her attorney, Charles Mitchell, would be taking care of the legal bills.

The removal of the motion for sanctions from the 219th court docket on Jan. 25 is the latest action in a story which originally came to light in October of 2006 when Ward resigned from her position as North cheerleader sponsor following the questionable behavior by five members of the squad. The five cheerleaders, including Theret's daughter, took photos of themselves in uniform at a condom shop, photos which later turned up on-line.

The five North cheerleaders were given 30-day suspensions from the squad on Sept. 12, 2006, according to Ward. After four parents appealed the suspension - Theret being the lone holdout - it was reduced to 15 days by Superintendent Tom Crowe on Sept. 18, 2006. Ward didn't agree with the decision and resigned her position as cheerleader sponsor.

Ward went public with her complaints about uneven discipline and interference by Theret with her efforts to coach the squad. She made an appearance on Good Morning America and seemingly every network picked up on the story.

The resulting publicity dogged MISD students and teachers for much of the 2006-07 school year after the story went national.