A proud parent has asked a Northampton County, Pa., judge to override a high school principal’s decision and allow him to attend his son’s district and regional wrestling matches.
Kevin Fenstermacher was banned from future events at Liberty High School due to his poor behavior at the PIAA Class AAA District 11 team wrestling championships on Feb. 2.
“Numerous Bethlehem Area School District and community adults witnessed you displaying inappropriate and offensive behavior towards Liberty High School students,” Liberty Principal Harrison Bailey III wrote in a letter to Fenstermacher dated Feb. 6.
Bailey banned Fenstermacher from attending any future events at the school, which includes the individual district tournament starting Friday, Feb. 24, and the Northeast Regional Tournament that starts March 3.
The 42-year-old Allen Township man filed an injunction request Tuesday asking for permission to see his son, K.J. Fenstermacher, wrestle for Northampton Area High School.
The injunction request says the ban came without warning and that he’s “unaware of any conduct on his part which could be misconstrued as offensive or inappropriate.”
The injunction request, filed by attorney Victor Scomillio, says Fenstermacher was never given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.
School district solicitor Donald Spry said he’s not aware of any specific allegations made against Fenstermacher beyond what’s in the Feb. 6 letter from Bailey.
The lawsuit says K.J. Fenstermacher was a three-year starter at Liberty High School before he transferred to Northampton Area High School this year.
Lehighvalleylive.com wresting reporter Brad Wilson noticed frequent banter between Northampton Area and Liberty fans during the Feb. 2 matches. The banter got testy at times but he didn’t notice anyone singled out as a result of it.
Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to review the matter.
K.J. Fenstermacher pinned his Liberty High School opponent within 31 seconds on the date his father allegedly offended bystanders.
It’s not the first time Kevin Fenstermacher has drawn attention at a wrestling match — or been banned from Liberty High.
In 2014, Fenstermacher was charged with harassment after allegedly shoving Bethlehem Catholic High School wrestling coach Jeffrey Karam as Karam spoke to reporters after Bethlehem Catholic wrestled Liberty at Freedom High School. The charge was later dismissed, but Fenstermacher was banned from events at Liberty High School that year.
THE LETTER
Here’s what Harrison Bailey III had to say to Kevin Fenstermacher:
It has come to my attention that on Feb. 2, 2017, you were present at a district wrestling event held at Liberty High School. Numerous Bethlehem Area School District and community adults witnessed you displaying inappropriate and offensive behavior towards Liberty High School students. While I understand that these events can evoke considerable passion and competitive spirit, this must always be tempered with humility and maturity. I understand that some students were participating in unacceptable and antagonistic behavior. These students were addressed by our athletic director in multiple ways. Regardless of these actions of minors, we expect adults to hold themselves to a higher standard and set the example. Unfortunately, that did not happen at this event. This letter serves as your official notice that you are no longer welcome at Liberty High School and are hereby and immediately prohibited form attending any events on our campus, for any reason. All necessary parties have been informed of this notice for the safety of all involved.
Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
