DOUBLE STANDARD FOR DISD

SCHOOLS For John kincaiDe, athleticdirector of the Dallas Independent SchoolDistrict, it was déjà vu all over again. OnApril 30, an unidentified caller toldKincaide-whose memories of the CarterHigh School eligibility fiasco are still vivid-that one of Grand Prairie High School’sstar baseball players had played ineligibly and that his coaches had failed to report the violation to the University Interscholastic League. Kincaide had one of his staffers call Grand Prairie and tell them about the accusation so they could “check it out.” Reportedly, they did, and called back to say there was no problem with the player’s grade, and no violation of no pass-no play.

The anonymous tipster persisted, and decided to call the state office of UIL. That led to a convening of the District I1-5A executive committee and punitive measures for Grand Prairie.

But that’s where similarities with the Carter case end. While Carter was hauled down to Austin, put through several days of hearings, and ultimately slapped with one year of probation, Grand Prairie’s punishment stopped with its elimination from the baseball playoffs. DISD cried foul, arguing that there is one set of rules for suburban schools and another for DISD. Suburban officials retorted that the Carter sanctions two years ago had been levied at the state level. But the irony in that rationale is too much for Kin-caide to take. “Remember,” he says, “it was a letter from Grand Prairie Superintendent DR. MARVIN CRAWFORD tO the state UIL and TEA, vowing to get Carter removed from competition, that got us to Austin in the first place.

“My blood pressure went up a tad on this one,” Kincaide says. “This [infraction] was much worse than Carter’s.”