Settlement: Coach Won’t Be Rehired in Hallsville ISD

HALLSVILLE — A Hallsville ISD coach who remains on paid administrative leave until he resigns in December entered a voluntary settlement agreement with the district that stipulates he will never work there again. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Superintendent Jim Dunlap released the “voluntary separation agreement and release of claims” document involving Hallsville High School track and cross country coach Dean McDaniel, who resigned from the district Sept. 25. The document states that McDaniel, who has been with the district for 13 years, is considered eligible for rehire but is never to work again in Hallsville ISD. In the agreement, the district and McDaniel agree not to talk badly about each other and agree not to sue each other.

The agreement states the district and McDaniel agreed upon a joint statement that reads: “Coach Dean McDaniel has chosen to resign his contract with Hallsville ISD effective Dec. 31. By agreement, he will remain on paid administrative leave until that time. Coach McDaniel wants to make it clear that, contrary to rumors, this decision and action is not based on anything to do with prayer with students. Coach McDaniel is leaving for personal reasons and wishes that in this matter his privacy be respected, and Hallsville ISD has agreed to respect his privacy.”

The agreement also contains a clause that states the district agrees to seal all “negative documentation” related to McDaniel. “McDaniel understands and agrees that such documentation may be disclosed pursuant to a subpoena, judicial or quasi-judicial order, information request allowed by law, and/or other judicial or administrative requirements,” the document states. “Nothing in this agreement, including the district’s agreement to seal documents, alters or modifies the district’s obligation(s) to provide information to SBEC (State Board for Educator Certification) or a law enforcement agency related to McDaniel.”