Suburban School Board To Decide On Fate Of Counselor Who Wrote Sexually Graphic Book
RICHTON PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A south suburban school board will be deciding Tuesday night whether to discipline a guidance counselor and former girls' basketball coach who wrote a self-help book with some views on women that many have called distasteful.
The Rich Township High School District 227 Board in Richton Park will meet Tuesday night to determine the fate of Bryan Craig.
Craig, a faculty member since 2004, last month was suspended as a counselor at Rich Central High School and resigned as girls varsity basketball coach after a SouthtownStar report on a book he wrote, "It's Her Fault," which contains his controversial and often crude views on women and sex.
The book in question, which is self-published and available via Amazon, is intended to provide relationship advice and the differences in personality between women and men.
But critics have taken issue with some of Craig's views, including, as quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times, the position that "the easiest kill for a man is through a young lady with low self-esteem."
The book also includes graphic sexual material, including a detailed description about the differences in the vaginas of women of different races, the newspaper reported.
The book has racked up several scathing reviews on Amazon. One customer called it "a disgusting piece of crap and no woman in her right mind would want to be anywhere near a man who believed in anything written here."
The Sun-Times reports the book also left school board member Cheryl Coleman speechless.
But district Supt. Donna Simpson Leak said she knew about the book for about a week before Craig was suspended. She initially said Craig "has his constitutional right to free speech."
At a Sept. 4 meeting, the board postponed any decision regarding Craig pending an investigation by the district's law firm and a hearing for Craig, who is tenured.
Craig, 33, of Matteson, has not been allowed on District 227 property in the interim, according to district officials.
At least two board members indicated they weren't in favor of having Craig return to counseling duties.
"As far as sticking around, with the mind-set that's in that book, I wouldn't be real comfortable with him counseling students," Cheryl Coleman said. "I'm not feeling real strong about it."
Board member Alyssa Hernandez said she was disappointed by Craig.
"The issue is, can our children believe and trust or look at him in the same light?" Hernandez said.
Firing Craig outright may prove difficult because of his tenure, according to Rick Grenzebach, an attorney who specializes in school law. The board must prove that Craig can't fix his mistake in order to fire him, and if he is fired, Craig can appeal to the Illinois State Board of Education, which can take months, Grenzebach said.
"They're tough cases," Grenzebach said.
The SouthtownStar contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
