After a back and forth of legal notices this week, a Lincoln High School administrator told parents that a district investigation found no evidence that boys basketball coach Heather Seely-Roberts used homophobic slurs or racist language.
That allegation, which Seely-Roberts has denied, surfaced earlier this week in a tort claim filed on behalf of four students at Lincoln High School.
The tort claim, which is an announcement of an intent to sue, accused Seely-Roberts of using homophobic slurs, making racist comments, and retaliating against players who played offseason club basketball for another coach as well as against players whose parents had complained about her coaching.
In response, Seely-Roberts issued a tort claim of her own, stating that the original tort claim was a way for parents to attack her after their children failed to make the varsity lineup at Lincoln. Seely-Roberts also claimed Portland Public Schools didn’t do enough to protect her from harassment from the parents.
On Friday night, Lincoln athletic director Matt Wiles sent an email to parents of basketball players, updating them on the situation.
“As I am sure you can imagine, this is a difficult situation with complex and varied perspectives,” reads the email from Wiles. “We all agree, though, that supporting our student athletes is essential, and that we all want to provide our students with an environment throughout LHS that is grounded in respect and enables their growth as students and athletes.”
Wiles added that a Portland Public Schools investigation into Seely-Roberts did not find evidence of any homophobic or racially discriminatory behavior.
“We take reported concerns seriously,” Wiles wrote, “and as parents of team members, we want you to know that PPS’s investigation did not find evidence of homophobic or racially discriminatory behavior within the LHS basketball program.”
An earlier investigation by PPS looking into retaliation claims was largely inconclusive, noting that the district did find evidence of some retaliation but took no disciplinary action.
Seely-Roberts is both the boys basketball coach at Lincoln and a physical education teacher at the Southwest Portland school.
She also submitted a formal complaint to the school district in October, demanding an investigation into one of the families involved with the tort claim against her.
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— Nik Streng covers high school sports in Oregon. Reach him at nstreng@oregonian.com or @NikStreng
