Coach Resigns After Smoking Pot on School Grounds

[Weedpipe]

IDAHO SPRINGS - He was a teacher and head football coach whose career came to an abrupt halt after being charged with smoking marijuana on school grounds.

Tony Villani worked at Clear Creek High School in Idaho Springs.

The alleged incident happened on Dec. 15. Villani resigned on Jan. 4. Parents just recently found out about the allegations.

The Clear Creek School District says it did not inform parents because students were not put in harms way, and because it is a personnel issue.

Villani was head football coach, JV basketball coach, a social studies teacher, and someone Dawn Dash's 17-year-old son looked up to.

"He was kind of an influential member of our school staff and our students," Dash said.

After Christmas break, Dash's son, who played football for Villani, came home and told her Villani was charged with smoking pot on school grounds.

"Shocked. I was very shocked. Especially, as much as he's influenced my son and other students that go to this district," Dash said.

Records show Villani received two charges: one for marijuana possession under an ounce, and another for public consumption/display of marijuana.

Clear Creek School District Superintendent Bill Patterson met with Villani after learning about the charges.

"Tony made a decision to resign from the school district," Patterson said.

Patterson will not say who reported Villani, but says Villani did show him documents claiming he was a medical marijuana patient.

Regardless, Patterson says the district's policy is no drugs allowed on school grounds.

"It's wrong, it's illegal. We have a drug-free zone for a reason. Tobacco is legal; you still can't have it on school property. So why should we be able to have medicinal marijuana on school property?" Dash said.

Dash is upset parents were not notified immediately.

Patterson says they were not told because the incident was a personnel and legal issue.

"I've been in our resource officer's office [in the school], where he says the best thing to do is lay it out on the table. That's what they need to do for our parents; that's what they need to do for us," Dash said.

No one answered the door at Villani's home on Wednesday, but 9NEWS did leave our contact information.

We also tried to get a comment over the phone, but our messages were not returned.

Villani's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 23.



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Website: Coach resigns after smoking pot on school grounds

 

[Jim Finnel]

The Clear Creek School District says it did not inform parents because students were not put in harms way

so let me understand this, a dispensary near a school puts students in harms way but a coach smoking at the school doesn't

 

[candy justice]

Wow & yet if he was taking a prescription pain pill on school property that would be ok. What part of 'medicinal' aren't people understanding? Such a shame.

 

[Pythaglio]

How do you guys know he wasn't on the way home because of a sudden severe migraine?

All in all he should have gotten off school grounds first, or had the discretion to go with edibles. Why the heck don't more people enjoy edibles?

 

[greeenbudzzz]

"He was kind of an influential member of our school staff and our students," Dash said.

After Christmas break, Dash's son, who played football for Villani, came home and told her Villani was charged with smoking pot on school grounds.

"Shocked. I was very shocked. Especially, as much as he's influenced my son and other students that go to this district," so? are the kids now smoking pot ? i think not .. shocked ? people that smoke pot should not be shocking to anyone

 

[Weedpipe]

im sure he knew the schools policy, and sounds to me like he got caught sneakin-a-toke. i wont throw the 1st stone on what type of punishment should be given, but to strip a man of his lifes work for a lapse in judgment such as this seems a bit harsh to me.

 

[trekie]

This is another example of a drug war out of control by judging someone again becuase of medical Marijuana. oh if it was some other medicine it would be OK. Because we have these lies about marijuana and drugs the schools go overboard with rules. To many Laws will be down fall of this country.This is a good time to explain the truth to your kids about Marijuana and it medical uses. I have 4 children of my own who do not use any illegal drugs. Why because I lead by example. I am more upset with these athletes who have extramarital affairs and collect millions a year in salaries and think its OK to screw around on your spouses with no guilt...Now that's what I want to teach my kids that's it OK to lie, cheat and hurt other people , Not in this life.... They know it is not OK to hurt another person. What you do with your own life that affects you and only you should be your business not others.... like medical Marijuana. When it comes to hurting other people than its everyone business... Like hurting your spouse. This is what I teach my children...and this is what Mrs., Dash should teach her children. Sound like this coach did a lot for his community. Only to suffer at the hands from people who are the true idiots in life. By believing all the lies about marijuana without doing the research...

 

[Bonehead]

They always talk about the children and in this situation I can't help but think about the children. The way that the school handled the situation will leave a lasting impression. Of course that impression will be a brainwashing of false facts of marijuana. I like many of the comments on this article. I do not see a way to resolve an issue like that if the facts are true. There are not too many places of employment that would allow consumption regardless of children. Hopefully Villani received representation. He is probably fortunate to be able to resign.

 

[Irish]

They always talk about the children and in this situation I can't help but think about the children. The way that the school handled the situation will leave a lasting impression. Of course that impression will be a brainwashing of false facts of marijuana. I like many of the comments on this article. I do not see a way to resolve an issue like that if the facts are true. There are not too many places of employment that would allow consumption regardless of children. Hopefully Villani received representation. He is probably fortunate to be able to resign.

All good points. You know what a huge part of the issue is? When they say that a campus is a drug free zone, they are specifically speaking about illicit drugs. They are not differentiating between medicine and illicit drugs in this case. Would they deny a student having an asthma attack his inhaler? That's an inhalable drug! Or prohibit the principal's 11 o'clock shot of insulin for his diabetes? That's an injectable drug! Or a teacher's nitroglycerin tablet for that heart attack about to happen right there in front of the class? That's an ingestible drug! So what makes medical marijuana any different from any of these when it is being used as necessary, in full compliance with state law? Where does that fall anywhere under the use of illicit drugs?

The guy deserves his job back, with profound and profuse apologies for painting his character criminally negligent and child endangering!

 

[Irish]

You know what...he doesn't! If he was that sick he shoulda stayed home! As an employer, I would look at any drugs, prescribed or not...look there is a time and place for everything, he knew the rules of where he worked. I'm all for totally legalizing pot, then I would look at this the same way as drinking on the job....He fucked up and now he has to pay the consequences. Let's win a few of the "right" fights, before this one...I know it will be litigated.

Bottom line...he knew the rules and he violated them...

So even you are not free of the brainwashing...sad.

 

[Pythaglio]

Don't we all 'know the rules' and violate them?

People should be able to make any ludicrous rule, and if people 'know them' they should be punished for violating them?

Comparing a patient taking medicine to drinking on the job? Now that's an asshole's point of view.

 

[Bonehead]

The guy deserves his job back, with profound and profuse apologies for painting his character criminally negligent and child endangering!

Mr. Villani was not fired. He quit on his own whether that was forced or not, he made that decision. As a person who deals with getting people's jobs back, this was not a good case. Because of current laws and mindset, it is not allowed at many place of employment. The school district could have made a decision to terminmate which would have complicated Mr. Villani's situation even more.

IMO I believe the school district handle the situation poorly but unfortunity Mr. Villani made a big mistake and he paid for it with his job. In this news article we see how disturbing the comments made by the community. You can hear the fear and ignorance in their words. That is going to set us back in our struggle to educate people.

 

[trekie]

A child cannot even bring a aspirin to school with out facing expulsion from school. I feel as parent that I have about 75% say in what is right for my child when raising my child the other 25% the government keeps getting in the way... lets start to take back our rights as free thinking society and start with marijuana reform .... Mile high Dave I want some of what you are smoking... No way is there a comparison between alcohol and medical marijuana. I cannot play a video game drunk... but, look out when I been smoking....

 

[Irish]

Mr. Villani was not fired. He quit on his own whether that was forced or not, he made that decision. As a person who deals with getting people's jobs back, this was not a good case. Because of current laws and mindset, it is not allowed at many place of employment. The school district could have made a decision to terminmate which would have complicated Mr. Villani's situation even more.

IMO I believe the school district handle the situation poorly but unfortunity Mr. Villani made a big mistake and he paid for it with his job. In this news article we see how disturbing the comments made by the community. You can hear the fear and ignorance in their words. That is going to set us back in our struggle to educate people.

What will and IS going to set us back in our own struggle is halfway agreeing with arbitrary laws. We have to decide now, are we going to agree with "them" that cannabis is an illicit drug that is a danger to society or not? What example does it make to our children to vehemently ban something through ignorance, agree with that banning, but then call it necessary medicine except when a child is watching? What insanity is that?

Man, everyone is STILL fighting the old brainwashing, like residual trojan viruses lurking around in the machine, gobbling up the works.....

 

[Jim Finnel]

.....We have to decide now, are we going to agree with "them" that cannabis is an illicit drug that is a danger to society or not? What example does it make to our children to vehemently ban something through ignorance, agree with that banning, but then call it necessary medicine except when a child is watching? What insanity is that?.....

Well Said

 

[Pythaglio]

It's incredible that you're not aware of oral swab testing for THC, and continue to propagate the myth that there's no testing for current intoxication. What there isn't is a 'per se' level of intoxication comparable to the bogus .08 BAC level for alcohol. 'Per se' intoxication laws aren't founded in science, there's no significant research that shows that a person with a .079 BAC is competent to drive but a person with .08 is suddenly incapacitated. All per se laws are designed to do is to convict people without the work of proving that a person is actually impaired.

But how did this conversation devolve into operating heavy equipment from a patient who was not doing any such thing taking medicine?

You have no evidence that the man was doing anything other than taking medicine for symptom mitigation where it might possibly be seen by children. This is a blatant double standard

BTW, I recall reading about a teacher in Loudon County VA who was arrested for TWI. That would be Teaching While Intoxicated. Her coworkers noted she was drunk and called the cops. The police arrested her in the classroom in front of her students. I cheered. The two situations are not comparable, unless you're a lunkhead that can't see the difference between being drunk and symptom mitigation.

Funny how growing pot in the privacy of one's home is a felony in VA, but TWI is a minor misdemeanor.

Fairfax Educator, Loudoun Teacher Are Facing Charges - washingtonpost.com

 

[Pythaglio]

So, I guess in your opinion, a snow-plow driver, airline pilot or crane operator should be allowed to medicate on the job? Until there is testing that tells when a person medicated, this will be a tough issue. I don't want my kid's school bus driver "high" on the job...no brainwashing, just a lil common sense.

The classic false dichotomy fallacy.

 

[Bonehead]

The guy quit. Game over. Once you quit, it's over. I don't know every circumstance like; why did he medicate at that time? Or; What he used to medicate? What ever the case, he resigned. It was not a good case to take forward. If he was to fight for his job whether through a union grievance or through legal action in the courts, there is the possiblity that he could not win his job back and that would become binding. It would make it worse for everyone. Did the school handle it correctly-NO. Did parents react like educated parents-NO. I also have to put responsibilty on Villani for not being more descret.

 

[motts]

i work for a school district and i take percocet for chronic knee and back pain every day. i also use mmj for my pain when i am at home. i do not live in a mmj state as of the moment but i am hoping that it will happen soon. i have to say that after taking percocet for a few years now i have built up a tolerance to them and i am not impaired when i take them. if i did not have them i would not be able to work at my type of job. even though he was a mmj user i believe that it is comparable to someone drinking on the job, it's just stupid. i don't think any of us would condone someone drinking on the job and i agree the level of impairment with pot is not the same as alcohol but as the one person said if he really needed it that bad then he should have ingested it.