LYNN — Stephanie Cuevas, the Lynn English cheerleading coach whose contract wasn’t renewed last August after a video of her went viral on social media, has gotten her job back.
The Lynn Public Schools administration opted out of renewing Cuevas’ contract last year due to an 11-second video of her putting her fist in the air and yelling, “White power,” before bursting into laughter. It was posted onto the Snapchat account of one of Cuevas’ close friends and then made its way to Facebook after someone recorded the video and reposted it. Nearly one year later, the administration decided to hire her back.
“The decision was made a month ago,” said Lynn English principal Thomas Strangie. “She had a meeting with the superintendent, who made the ultimate decision. She did a fine job as our coach then and I am sure she will continue to do a fine job this year.”
Strangie said Cuevas will be given the same standard contract that she had before.
Cuevas could not be reached for comment after several messages were relayed through friends.
While Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler declined to explain the decision to rehire Cuevas, he did say every Lynn School employee is expected to meet the district’s standards.
“Relative to Mrs. Cuevas, personnel matters are not fodder for public consumption,” Tutwiler said via email. “I will say that, as administrators who we allow the privilege of working with our students, it is perhaps our foremost responsibility. As is the case for all prospective candidates for hire, qualifications are extremely important. The ability to perform in keeping with the district’s core values is equally, if not more, important. Mrs. Cuevas is no exception.”
School Committee member Michael Satterwhite said the committee has policies on personnel and it’s up to the superintendent to enforce them. He said Tutwiler resolved the issue in the fashion he thought best and informed committee members of his decision on Monday.
“We have a diverse body of educators and students, and our focus should never be on the actions or inactions of a trusted adult,” said Satterwhite. “One second of the appearance of inappropriate behavior or gestures can alter your life. Almost immediately after the situation, Mrs. Cuevas took appropriate actions to understand the situation and to grow from it. Dr. Tutwiler, with other school officials, after meeting with Mrs. Cuevas and hearing from the community, thought it would be appropriate to rehire Mrs. Cuevas. I support Dr. Tutwiler and this decision.”
