Lafayette volleyball coaches state ethics charges | Education

The Louisiana Board of Ethics filed charges against two Lafayette volleyball coaches, arguing they asked high school players to enroll in a private league at a gym where they worked over the summer.

The board determined Julia Dawson and Erin Belsom violated Louisiana ethics law when they asked their students on the Southside High volleyball team to enroll and pay for summer training and competition at the private gym they worked at. Dawson also is accused of using her position to coerce students to join the league.

The ethics board, which brought the charges in January but didn’t publish its determination until May, referred the matter to the Louisiana Division of Administrative Law, a centralized administrative hearing panel that will determine whether a violation occurred and can levy penalties if so.

Alesia Ardoin, an attorney with Sexton Law representing both coaches, said that the charges were “baseless” and state law recently changed, making it possible for educators to receive compensation from students when they serve as tutors or coaches.

“We will continue to fight these charges and we’re certain the adjudication board will dismiss this because the charges are wholly without merit,” Ardoin told The Acadiana Advocate.

The ethics board charges stemmed from a 2021 incident, according to the documents released by the board. At the time, Dawson and Belsom were volleyball coaches at Southside High School. Belsom has since transferred to a different school.

Dawson and Belsom also are coaches for Louisiana Volleyball Lafayette, or LVL, a private gym that offers indoor and beach volleyball programs, training and has club teams. Dawson is a co-owner, co-director, program coordinator and master coach of the gym and Belsom is the recreational coordinator and beach volleyball director.

In May 2021, Dawson emailed parents of the students who made the volleyball team for the 2021-2022 school year, according to ethics board documents. The email laid out summer expectations, which included participating in a beach volleyball league on Fridays in June and July of 2021.

The cost of the league was $150 per team, which could have up to three players, according to the documents. Parents registered and paid through the LVL website.

Dawson, who is paid by LVL as a 12-month salaried employee, received $15,000 from LVL in 2021. Belsom was paid $25 per hour for her work as the summer beach volleyball director received about $2,000 in 2021 and $2,500 in 2022 from LVL.

The ethics board determined that as public employees with the school district, both Dawson and Belsom violated state ethics laws when they were paid for providing volleyball training and overseeing competition for interested players. The ethics board additionally alleged that Dawson compelled or coerced students to join the LVL league.

A hearing before the adjudication board has been set for Nov. 13 for Dawson and Belsom.

A spokesperson for the Lafayette Parish School System said the district would not comment while the matter was being adjudicated.