By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Board of Education is looking into allegations of bullying against varsity volleyball coach Cassie Hayes made by two parents who address the board at their Thursday night meeting.

“Because it’s a personnel matter, I can’t really say much about it,” Interim Superintendent of Schools William Crist said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re required to investigate.”

Julie Malone and Sue Ellen Jacobs, who both have daughters on the varsity volleyball squad, each claimed their daughters had been disrespected or degraded by their coach, although they did not cite specific incidents in their brief speeches during the public comments portion.

“I’m very concerned about the well-being of the team and what those actions are doing to our players,” Malone said.

“The current athletic program in which my daughter has participated … has been hell,” Jacobs said, who believes there is a climate of “mistrust, disrespect, and moral degradation” on the team.

Jacobs said the board was not her first stop – she aired her concerns to school officials including athletic director Timothy Hayes, but it fell on deaf ears, she said.

“If it were a fellow student, I think this would be resolved in a timely and appropriate manner,” Jacobs said to the board. “It is my understanding one of your jobs is to protect the students.”