Sean Price, the longtime Labette County Grizzlies football coach and athletic director, will no longer hold those roles after the USD 506 board terminated his contract at Monday’s meeting.
In a 5-2 vote — Justin Bebb and Rich Falkenstien objected while Kevin Cole, Greg Bogner, Jessie Foister, Kolette Smith and Brian Harlow were in favor — the board let Price go with just days left in the school year.
The board received allegations from numerous parents within the district outlining sexually inappropriate comments Price made about girls at the high school, including one incident several weeks ago during a weights session.
Bebb resigned from the USD 506 board after the Price vote.
Price did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment.
Multiple parents and families spoke to the Sun on the condition of anonymity, telling various stories of sexual comments Price allegedly made.
A bloc of families attended Monday’s board meeting, which included at least half a dozen executive sessions and stretched to 11 p.m. before it delivered the vote to terminate Price.
One parent, who sent a letter to every board member, detailed an incident in the fall of 2019 where Price made sexually suggestive comments about her daughter. Price served a one-game suspension during the football season that year.
USD 506 hired Price in February 2015 to replace Jesse Ybarra as the head football coach. Prior to arriving in Altamont, Price was the head coach of the Chetopa Green Hornets.
In addition to serving as the school’s football coach for the past 10 seasons, Price was also one of two athletic directors at Labette County for the past several school years.
The Grizzlies experienced highs and lows on the field during Price’s decade-long tenure helming the sidelines.
Labette County won its first-ever home playoff game and won an SEK League title in 2017. But from 202023, the Grizzlies won just five games over four seasons. Labette County rebounded last fall, finishing the year 5-5 with a road playoff win.
The school district will conduct a search to replace its football coach and athletic director in the coming weeks.
Scott Mattison, the boys wrestling coach at Labette County, shared athletic director duties with Price and will take over full-time on an interim basis.
At press time, no interim football coach has been named by the district.
