WHY IS HE ALLOWED TO TEACH AND NOT COACH?

1ST OFFENCE FOR JUST WEED "10 day out of school suspension from school and recommendation for expulsion,
police notification

hey PATENTNTNR who are you to say anything about him? how many times have you talked to John Thomas? if you actually knew him he would have positively affected your life like he has mine and countless other young people, as well as the McLean community as a whole. instead you're trying to use a victimless crime to overshadow everything he has done for others. bravo. think a little before you ask why more negative things should happen to him

I agree, with TC21 John Thomas is the best coach Ive ever had, and If you think he shouldnt be able to teach because of a Marijuana charge you should close the browser, shutdown your computer and throw it out the nearest window. Anyone who takes there time to help the less fortunate through teaching special ed is a Saint in my eyes, and that person should keep their job. Marijuana isn't bad, its just seen as bad because it is illegal. He shouldnt lose his job or coaching position over it.

Coach Thomas will forever be a beloved member of the McLean community, whether he is charged with drug possession or not. Nothing can change the positive impact he has had not only on his special education students, but on his baseball team and all of McLean as well.

Regardless of being "a beloved member" of the community or "the best coach" a teacher should above all be a good role model, especially with all the student drug issues at the school. A school is no place for an adult who shows the judgment of a teenager.

Tc21 you must be under 21.

LiquerMan, you must drink Liquer thats really cool. Last time I checked real men drink Liqour.

Mac, I don't know where you get your information from but it is wrong. Coach Thomas was told by the father of "Arlington" that they had moved to McLean. He w

He was on JV and Coach Thomas didn't research his address. I don't think that is in his job desciption. I have watched 75% of his games since he has been coaching. Bet you can't find a player who didn't love him.

Mac how well do you know Thomas or the kid from Arlington? He didn't recruit this kid. The father moved him to Mclean so he could play for Coach Thomas. If he was that talented he would have been on Varsity. Think about, why risk your job for a JV player?

If he had done something wrong the school would have reprimanded him for it.

Mac how do you know this? Sounds like a disgruntled former coach to me.

I am a friend of the Thomas family and a former youth baseball coach to John Thomas. Baseball is life in miniature. And this too is life for real. John apparently made a mistake in judgement but that does not change the
fact he is a very caring young man that gives more than he
gets both in special Ed and in baseball. Please do not push John out because he made a mistake. This is the time for those of us in the community to come together to help John through this embarrassing phase in his life. John may play for me, coach baseball, teach and live in the community if we stand with him rather than cast further despair. John will come out of this stronger because that is who he is. Please stress the good that he does rather than harping on this mistake. John needs your support. Give it to him because he is worth it.

Anybody talking down on Coach Thomas doesn't have a clue. And you need to find a hobby. The kid your referring to is just a joke as well you don't have any knowledge about this at all. If you know him you love him simple as that an he is the man in McLean and always will be and won't be judged for this.

Coach Thomas has been an inspiration and role model for hundreds of kids as well as he has been a leader in the community for years. I'm sure he is embarrassed but there is probably a good explanation and any negative news will not take away from the lives that he has changed in such a positive way. Marijuana is now legal in 3 states and and many other states have legalized it for medical reasons. It's obviously illegal in Virgina but the big picture here is that Coach Thomas is a great coach and teacher and the community will miss him dearly if he is forced to step down. One mistake should not take away from all the many positive things that he has done for us.

Mac where are you? I know who you are. Dont make me expose you. You coward

I have to agree with the majority of the people posting here. Yes, John Thomas made a mistake which should be addressed. Unfortunately this article does not take into account the countless hours he has put back into helping the McLean community. He has been an incredible coach/friend to many people here in the area. Sad what the Patch will do to get readers...please do not smear his name...

Is there a requirement that Fairfax county teachers not use illegal drugs? If not, what's the controversy. He stepped down as coach. Just because the county imposes a "no tolerance" requirement for its students doesn't mean the same goes for teachers.

Hi all,

Please refrain from attacks in the comments on Coach Thomas or on each other. Also, we did delete a comment for inappropriate language. Thanks,

- Beth Lawton

@TC21 - You are totally free to criticize McLean Patch in the comments. We can't allowing inappropriate language, however, thus we are deleting comments with that language in them, no matter what the comment itself is about.

Whoever "Mac" is, needs to get there facts straight. The Yorktown high school student was ratted out by another McLean student as to his real address in arlington. Coach JT had no idea. The kid was sent back to Yorktown (his home school). The Yorktown student happens to be one of my best friends. So "Mac", I think you should know your facts before you talk

John was a coach to me, is a friend and a great man. He has inspired many, and changed many lives positively. I know he is not proud of what happened. He will change for the better. He will make a point to his students that he made a mistake, and they will learn from him. None of us are perfect. People make mistakes, but it is how we respond to our own mistakes. That is what truly matters.

My manz Baseball10! JT is still the man in McLean and always will be. Great leader on the field, great leader in the community, and great leader in the classroom.

Gotta protect the parking spot. Hope he comes back.

I am a long-time McLean resident, former MHS graduate and now mother to two future MHS students. All I have to say is, "He that is among you without sin, let him cast the first stone." I understand the no tolerance and yes, he should be punished, but I would never judge someone on one bad deed alone. Just as in marriage, if a spouse makes a mistake (and we all do), does that mean immediate divorce? I think not.

His 35 years old. He should know that drugs are bad

You see, we have a small problem. He was caught with"weed" at 2:45 pm. the school day ended at 2:05pm. Does this mean he had the weed while he was at work? Did a student give him the drug? How did he get the drug? Why isn't the NEWS Media like NBC,FOX,CBS,ABC reporting this? Thank you, Patch for reporting news.

SAY IT AINT SO! I am truly disappointed for the MHS community and especially the baseball seniors. The situation demonstrates how errors in judgement can have a cascading effect. I am certain, however, that Coach Thomas will turn this experience into a positive over the long run for himself, his students, and future baseball players.

He probably had the drugs in his car. Couldve got it from anywhere, now your just trying to attack the whole school along with its students. No wonder you go to Langley.

FCPS need sto make up their mind how they are going to treat drug offenses. If they are going to throw the book at a 15 year old kid for pot, they better treat a teacher who is old enough to know better with similar severity. we cannot have two sets of rules. FCPS has exercised utter brutality in their treatment of students who "make mistakes". Just ask the stuban and Anderson families who buried their kids.

This isn't just about pot either. There have been numerous residency/recruiting violations in the baseball programs at our high schools and Bill Curran refuses to do his job and start enforcing the rules.

The defense of this guy reminds me of all the Penn State fans/players talking about what a great guy Sandusky was. The truth will come out. Sometimes people aren't who you think they are.

Luv my McLean Highlander Baseball Team! POT...everyone uses it man (esp. in N.Va). Beer/liquor use to be illegal during our dark days of the prohibition years. If you complain about beer drinking now, then you must be under 21 yrs old.

Unfortunately, the only real losers here are the baseball players at McLean who Coach Thomas affected in such a positive manner. MHS cannot afford to lose such a solid influence from their athletic department. They already have an extremely difficult time locating and retaining capable and truly interested boys coaches.

It is too bad Coach Thomas does not live in Colorado or Washington State, as this would not even be an issue.

With all the idiotic and seemingly entitled parents associated with McLean High School Athletics, its shocking they don't distribute medicinal marijuana to the poor coaches and activities directors who have to deal with these moronic parents on a near daily basis. Trust me, I coached their for several years.

The reality is that John Thomas is both a great coach and an even better mentor to young people. When the dust settles he will likely end up at an upper crust area private school where they respect both his coaching ability as well as his talent and passion for mentoring young people.

Again the only certain losers in all this are the kids in the MHS Baseball Program who will most likely be taking a huge step backwards.

This doesn't even come close to the Jerry Sandusky case, and if you think people see Sandusky as a great guy, you might want to s0end a day in State College. I go to Penn State, that man is seen as the right hand to the devil. Coach Thomas is still a great man to this very day.

We can all agree that Thomas was a great coach, dedicated teacher, and mentor to many young people in the McLean community. But one of the lessons to be learned is that when one breaks the rules, there are consequences. If we want the rules established by parents, schools, society, etc., to have meaning, there must be repercussions for violations. In this case, agree or not, marijuana is an illegal drug and it's possession is a criminal offense. John Thomas will pay a price for his indiscretion. Does that mean we turn our back on him and walk away? I would hope not. His life is not over; he will have many years to teach, coach, mentor, and pursue his passions in life. It may not be at McLean H.S. But that is the cost of poor judgement in this case.

No, we dont all agree that he was a great coach. But we should agree, making poor choices- something he preaches to his players not to do, have consequences. The school and the county must use equal and consistent discipline in addressing an employee who chose to bring and use illegal drugs during contract hours of employment .