New commissioner, school district lock horns

A smoldering issue between the Tarkanians and Douglas County school administrators started throwing embers last week.

Newly-seated Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian said at the Jan. 4 commissioners meeting that Douglas High School covered up a variety of issues including a sexual assault at the school that resulted in moving his daughters out of the district.

Tarkanian’s oldest daughter played basketball for the Tigers during the 2019 basketball season. Another daughter played golf.

On Monday, Tarkanian said the issues he describes in a letter appearing in today’s edition of The Record-Courier started before the season began.

He said the sexual assault involved one of his daughter’s classmates, and that the girl and her family didn’t want to seek charges.

“She was a close friend, and they didn’t notify the school either,” he said.

Tarkanian said he would not have gone public if he hadn’t heard that his daughter was the subject of “horrendous stories.”

“They are blaming my kids for stuff and I can’t let that go on,” he said. “I can’t let people run around hurting my kids’ reputation.”

Tarkanian said the issues with the high school culminated in a Northern Interscholastic Athletic Association hearing where the Tarkanians were allowed to attend a different district.

On Monday, Douglas County Superintendent Keith Lewis issued a formal statement that Tarkanian’s accusations.

“It is very alarming to hear that a newly-elected member of the Douglas County commissioners, and someone relatively new to our community, would use his elected position in a public meeting to air personal and inaccurate grievances against our schools.”

Records of the NIAA hearing are confidential, and the district is not permitted by state law to reveal details involving minors.

“Commissioner Tarkanian’s statement that a student was sexual assaulted at Douglas High School is false,” Lewis said. “Commissioner Tarkanian’s statement that the district swept the bullying allegation of his daughter under the carpet is false. The district thoroughly investigated the complaint and our findings were upheld by the Nevada Department of Education.”

Tarkanian said Monday that the district only talked to a handful of witnesses on the basketball team.

“We filed a complaint and it was dismissed,” he said. “The school board dismissed it and none of them talked to us again or tried to ascertain what happened. Of the people on the basketball team, they only picked four to talk to because they were ‘disinterested.’ They shouldn’t be trying to blame stuff on my daughter.”

Tarkanian is the son of legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and moved to Carson Valley in 2019. He filed for the District 1 commission seat in March and eked out a 17-vote victory over sitting Commissioner Dave Nelson in the primary. Both men are Republicans.