Rattler Football Player Behavior Raises Concerns Amongst Parents

Parents of San Marcos CISD students have voiced concerns about the San Marcos High School football program and Coach Soto.

On Nov. 4, the San Marcos High School Rattlers faced off with the Austin Bowie Bulldogs. Though the Rattlers fought hard, the 14-6A district championship game may have left players and fans disappointed with a final score of 59-7.

However, the behavior and actions of one of the Rattler star football players left several parents questioning the character and culture of the San Marcos High School football program creates.

In a letter to football coach Mark Soto, Debra Gonzales said one of the Rattler’s star players walked across the field following Friday’s game and gave the Austin Bowie Bulldogs “the bird” in front of a stadium full of families and members of the community. Gonzales asked how the program was going to address the un-sportsman-like behavior.

The full, current, correspondence between Gonzales and Soto can be found below with the original message located at the bottom of the file. 

[gview file=”https://smcorridornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/RE-Character-of-Football-Player-75.pdf”]

This is not the first time the behavior of students has raised concerns in the community. On May 22, a senior prank went too far resulting in the vandalism and property damage to San Marcos High School.

A source close to the May incident confided that an administrator knew what the students had planned to do.

School administration and district officials reviewed footage and identified the students involved in the incident. The district did not file citations or felony charges on the students, and the students’ consequences were delegated by the Student Code of Conduct.

The students were allowed to walk at graduation three days after the incident, which left parents and members of the community wondering what consequences the students suffered.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects the privacy of students and their academic records. The federal law protects the identities of the students involved in the vandalism, and the school district argued that disclosure of the consequences would identify.

Recently the San Marcos High School principal and another administrator resigned after a “grade fixing” scheme had been uncovered. 

Gonzales said she understood that FERPA will not allow anyone to be notified about any disciplinary actions or consequences taken by the program.

“However, allowing him to suit out suggests no action was taken,” Gonzales said. “This also suggests that having family on the school board will allow any behavior to take place.”

How Coach Soto and the football program at San Marcos High School will respond to Gonzales’s concerns about tomorrow night’s game is unknown. But Gonzales said she felt it important to voice the concerns of her and the community on the reputation of the school and the school district if such behaviors are not take addressed.