GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A recently-fired powerlifting coach, along with several supporters, is criticizing the Oshkosh Area School District after he was fired for a social media post criticizing how the district handled a situation where his child was bullied.
The program is likely to fold as a result.
On September 10, the coach Alex Del Vecchio posted a criticism of the district, saying he had “profound disappointment” for another incident involving his son. He later said his son no longer felt supported “due to the lack of effective intervention.” Del Vecchio said he subsequently met with administration to address the issues.
On Tuesday morning, Del Vecchio said the district called to tell him that he had been fired for his post, which “brought a negative light on the school district, and they no longer needed [him] as a coach in their district.”
Del Vecchio now says he’s being treated unfairly.
“It definitely feels retaliatory that you sit down and meet with me one week and the next week you call and say, well, because we don’t like the way this looks for us, you can’t coach us anymore.”
The parents of one powerlifting athlete also spoke out against the decision.
“I don’t think he should have been removed from the program,” said Mitchell Wolfgram. “I the school should have done some more due diligence as far as uncovering what was happening there.”
“I have a freshman now who isn’t going to be able to powerlift, who is devastated because that’s what he wanted to do next, because his big brother did it,” said Jamie Wolfgram.
The program regularly has 20-30 athletes, according to Del Vecchio. He restarted the program in 2023 after it was shut down for about 10 years.
“Just heartbreaking,” said Del Vecchio. “I mean, I’ve put hundreds of hours into building this program for these kids to show them that they can be strong, that they can do whatever they put their mind to, to show them that they can be future leaders.”
The district said it has no comment on personnel matters.
