The father of former Baylor School golfer Danny Gleeson is suing the school, claiming Baylor did not give him adequate assistance with his academics.
James Gleeson is asking that Baylor refund $7,992.50 for his spring 2012 tuition and also pay $100,000 in punitive damages in the complaint filed in Chancery Court.
The suit says the Gleeson family relocated from Raleigh, N.C., to Ooltewah in the summer of 2011 after Danny Gleeson had previously attended public schools in North Carolina. It says Baylor recruited him to play on the varsity golf team. As an eighth grader, Gleeson had posted a 69 over the Tom Fazio-designed course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to win the Tarheel State Junior by 10 strokes.
The complaint says he was promised that Baylor would help him successfully complete his academic coursework. It says he enrolled at Baylor and his "golf scores were used during the season to win matches immediately upon his arrival."
But it says, "The golf schedule was extensive and caused Danny Gleeson to be absent and miss classwork. His academic success was limited because of the Balor School's golf schedule."
The lawsuit says the Gleesons were finally told that he "was not a good fit" for Baylor. He then transferred to Ooltewah High School this spring. The suit says his Baylor credits for the fall semester did not transfer.
The school refused to refund the tuition for the spring semester, according to the suit filed by attorney Stephen Crump of Cleveland, Tn.