Days after Hayfield Secondary School’s blowout win against Thomas Edison High School, the school district announced it’s game over.
The team is officially out of the playoffs, ending a controversial season after allegations of an improper recruitment scheme.
In a letter to parents Monday, FCPS superintendent Michelle Reid told families, “This evening, the principal of Hayfield Secondary School announced the difficult decision to withdraw the football team from further postseason play.”
In the announcement to parents, Reid said that new, troubling information had surfaced.
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“Last week, several new and troubling text messages were brought to light and are now part of the ongoing review regarding Hayfield Secondary School recruiting concerns. FCPS can only act on the information that it has, and these messages brought new concerns to the initial investigation.”
“It's been hectic because, you know, when they were going to be able to play, or we thought they weren't going to be able to play,” Aaron Webster, a Hayfield grandfather, said.
“I'm a mom so my first concern is safety,” said Thomas Edison parent Maisi Julian.
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“Bottom line, these boys are the ones who played this season,” said Hayfield parent Palanaki Rowe.
Parents have questioned the fairness and impact on players after months of accusations over head football coach Darryl Overton's alleged recruitment efforts.
Overton came to Hayfield last February, and many in the district raised concerns over an influx of new student transfers.
School board member Mateo Dunne was one of the first to flag concerns over the alleged recruiting scheme.
“I think it’s the right decision, but I think this decision should have been taken months ago,” he said.
The superintendent says a third party will look into FCPS student-athlete transfers, but Dunne says that doesn't go far enough.
“Improper fund raising, recruiting, residency, eligibility, you know social media policy violations, cyber bullying,” he said. “What she’s proposing is a very limited review of student transfers and that’s just a small piece of the puzzle at this point, what we really need to also investigate is how FCPS has handled this scandal from its inception because it’s been handled fairly incompetently.”
On top of a more in-depth external investigation, Dunne also says he would also like to make sure there are more protections for whistleblowers working in the school district.
