Exclusive: Newly released DASA report details harassment by Minisink Valley coach as victim’s mother speaks out
The report found that Guyette engaged in conduct that included slapping players on the buttocks and thighs, pulling their hair and rubbing their shoulders during team huddles. It also details complaints that he used the girls’ restroom in the locker room while students were present, making them uncomfortable.
More Stories
News 12 has obtained a copy of the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) report into Minisink Valley coach Bruce Guyette. The document, released to a member of the public under a Freedom of Information request and shared with News 12, substantiates multiple allegations of harassment and inappropriate behavior involving more than a dozen student athletes.
One mother, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her daughter’s identity, is speaking out for the first time since the findings were made public. She told News 12 her daughter and other players were repeatedly subjected to humiliating comments and unwanted physical contact.
“There’s a lot of fear for the girls still in the school because they don’t know if he’s going to be allowed to come back,” the mother said. “It’s just a lot of unknown because the school is not answering any of our questions.”
The report found that Guyette engaged in conduct that included slapping players on the buttocks and thighs, pulling their hair and rubbing their shoulders during team huddles. It also details complaints that he used the girls’ restroom in the locker room while students were present, making them uncomfortable.
“My daughter said he was in there a long time, and when he came out, he was fixing his pants,” the mother recalled. “She was really uncomfortable.”
READ THE REPORT: Dignity Act Investigative Report
Investigators also documented allegations that Guyette made degrading remarks about players’ race, appearance and weight. Parents said he sometimes lined girls up during uniform fittings and questioned whether they needed a bigger size in front of teammates.
The mother said her daughter often came home in tears.
“He slapped my daughter’s butt a couple of times and she was grossed out, like 'Why is he doing that?' When she asked other girls, a lot of them said yes, it happened to them, too," she said.
According to the report, prior concerns about Guyette had surfaced before but were downplayed or dismissed as part of his “coaching style” until the formal complaint in May 2025 forced a district investigation.
“Other parents would say the same thing. But nobody was willing to come forward because he’s been there so long and because of his power and authority. Who’s going to believe a young girl over a coach with decades of wins?” the mother said.
Guyette denied intending harm.
In a written statement included in the report, he said pats were celebratory, comments were jokes in poor taste, and that he used the locker room bathroom because of a medical condition.
He denied singling players out or making sexual advances. The report notes that Guyette refused to sit for an interview with the investigator and instead submitted only a written statement.
In a statement to News 12, Guyette’s representative went further, calling the complaints “hearsay and conjecture” and arguing the allegations were “embellished or taken out of context.” The representative confirmed that Guyette has filed an appeal with the New York State Commissioner of Education, alleging the district violated its own procedures by not interviewing him or his assistant coaches.
The controversy has divided the Minisink Valley community. While some families have pressed for accountability, others have continued to defend the coach. Guyette has been a visible figure in local athletics for decades and earlier this year was nominated into the New York State High School Softball Hall of Fame, even as the DASA investigation was underway.
“They always say if you see something, say something,” the mother said. “My daughter wanted to do the right thing and come forward. Who else is going to be their voice?”
The Minisink Valley Central School District says it cannot comment on the investigation or the report, citing FERPA privacy laws and personnel rules. The district has not said whether Guyette will be brought back to coach for the upcoming season.
