Former Douglass football coach fired
The former head football coach at Douglass Mid-High School has been fired because of an undisclosed impropriety.
Willis Alexander last coached the Trojans during the 2016 season. He also taught students with learning disabilities at the school in northeast Oklahoma City.
It wasn't the first time Alexander has been in trouble.
In 2015, he missed spring practice and the first four games of the season as punishment for cursing officials during and after the Trojans’ controversial loss to Locust Grove in the 2014 Class 3A playoffs.
Oklahoma City Public Schools fired Alexander on Nov. 7, more than two months after the state Board of Education suspended his teaching certificate.
"The State Board of Education and Oklahoma State Department of Education consider student safety paramount," Brad Clark, general counsel for the state Board of Education, said in a statement Tuesday.
"After receiving a report that student safety had been jeopardized at Douglass MidHigh School, the State Board acted to suspend Mr. Alexander’s teaching certificate on August 24, 2017, pending a full investigation and resolution thereof."
Alexander did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
Neither school district nor state Education Department officials would discuss specifics surrounding Alexander's alleged misconduct.
A settlement agreement between Alexander and the state board obtained by The Oklahoman shows Alexander was "suspended from employment" in January 2017 "and has not served as a teacher in Oklahoma public schools since said time."
In March, Oklahoma City Public Schools parted ways with Alexander after 11 seasons as the Trojans' head coach but officials did not say why.
In the settlement agreement, Alexander waived his right to a revocation hearing and agreed to resign his employment with Oklahoma City Public Schools no later than Dec. 31, 2017, unless otherwise agreed to by Alexander and the district.
On Nov. 7, Oklahoma City Public Schools notified Alexander by letter that he was being terminated because "you currently do not have a valid teaching certification from the Oklahoma State Department of Education."
"In order to have a contract as a certified teacher with a school district, you must have a valid certificate," Janis Perrault, the district's chief human resources officer, stated in the letter.
"Since your certificate has been suspended, your contract of employment is void by operation of law."
Douglass was 1-9 in Alexander's first season in 2006, but by 2009, the Trojans reached the Class 4A state finals, losing to Star Spencer. The following year, Douglass won the 4A title.
The 2014 playoff game against Locus Grove turned controversial with just over one minute to go, when officials inappropriately negated a go-ahead touchdown by Douglass.
In addition to using profanity, Alexander also called an official to come out of the locker room after the game.
Alexander told The Oklahoman that Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association officials could “go to hell for all I care.” He publicly apologized for the comments in front of the OSSAA staff and board of directors the following week.
Oklahoma City Public Schools fought to have the result of the game overturned, which ultimately resulted in a court case that delayed the Class 3A playoffs for a week.