Coach probe includes trip Phillipsburg School District attorney denies access to Rick Thompson's vouchers, expense sheets. Friday, July 21, 2006 • By DANIEL HAUSMANN • The Express-Times A team trip to a state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City is part of an investigation of Phillipsburg High School wrestling coach Rick Thompson, the school district's labor attorney said Thursday. In a letter to The Express-Times, Richard Bauch denied the newspaper's request to review vouchers and expense sheets that Thompson submitted after a trip to the NJSIAA State Championships in March. "Release of the documents at this time would not be in the public interest because the School Board has not yet to complete its analysis of the documents in connection with its own investigation," Bauch said in denying the records request. Monday night, the school board said Thompson had been given a Rice notice, an action taken when a government body plans to discuss an employee's performance or job status. Thompson, who was fired as wrestling coach twice before, had the option to have the discussion held in public Monday and chose to keep it private. Thompson, who is also the cross country coach and a health and physical education teacher, said he will not comment on the receipts or other investigation items until after the decision is made. "All I know is they owe me money," said Thompson, who lives in Lower Nazareth Township. School board President Paul Rummerfield would not say what was on the receipts, but did say this investigation is "more serious than the prior two incidents." When asked whether Thompson's status as a teacher was in question, Rummerfield said this was "a little more encompassing then the other two (dismissals)." Board member Kevin DeGerolamo said the board would look at both Thompson's teaching job and coaching positions based on the "severity of the charges." "I don't think it's one thing we're looking at," DeGerolamo said. Bauch said the records sought by the newspaper would be released after the investigation is complete. New Jersey Press Association attorney Tom Cafferty said they should be available now. He said the investigation is not a basis for withholding the documents under New Jersey law. Cafferty said the receipts' existence prior to the start of the investigation make them public records. "When it was created, it was a voucher," Cafferty said. "You're not seeking an investigation record created during an investigation." The newspaper on July 13 filed a written request for the receipts under the state's open records law, which allows seven days for a response. Officials are expected to announce the approval of coaches in all sports for the 2006-07 school year during Monday's school board meeting. School board members said they expect to take a vote on Thompson's status, too. Thompson was ousted before as head wrestling coach, in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. The former two-time state champ at Phillipsburg was hired for his third stint as wrestling coach prior to the 2003-04 school year. Reporter Daniel Hausmann can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at dhausmann@express-times.com. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.