Baseball: Former Kennedy Coach Manny Alvarado wins arbitration ruling

Nearly two years since Granada Hills Kennedy Principal Suzanne Blake put former baseball Coach Manny Alvarado on administrative leave in November 2011, and later tried to suspend him 15 days after an alleged hazing incident involving students outside the school weight room, an arbitrator has ruled in Alvarado’s favor.

“I feel after so many years, my word should be trusted,” said Alvarado, who was Kennedy’s baseball coach for 24 years until he was replaced before last season. “It’s nice to have somebody say I was right.”

Alvarado and United Teachers Los Angeles filed a grievance challenging the suspension. He was accused of failing to supervise his students after two separate incidents involving baseball players engaging in “body shots.”

An arbitrator overturned the suspension. Alvarado will receive a formal letter in his file reminding him of his supervision responsibilities.

Alvarado still has not gotten his teaching job back because he is involved in a second arbitration matter; a former Kennedy junior varsity coach was arrested in June 2012 on suspicion of child endangerment after taking a group of junior varsity players to a Dodgers game and allegedly smoking marijuana in the car to and from the game.

Alvarado said he could not comment on his pending case.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com