FARMINGTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — Disturbing allegations have led to the firing of several basketball coaches at Farmington High School.
Parents tell us a letter went out to notify them of alleged misconduct, which has now led to a Detroit Police investigation.
Detroit Police confirm they’re actively investigating allegations against a basketball coach, as Farmington High School tells us four different coaches have now been terminated.
“I have a high schooler here and he’s played on the basketball team forever,” one parent who asked not to be identified told us. Outside the school, she also added, “It’s unfortunate what happened with the coach. Allegations with kids. It’s unfortunate for the community.”
The letter mailed through email doesn’t give specifics. However, it mentions that three more coaches were fired, for not reporting what they knew about the claims.
October 17, 2023
Dear FHS Families,
I am writing to provide you an update regarding our Boys’ Basketball team.
As you know from my last message, we learned of an allegation of potential improper conduct between a non-FPS employee basketball coach and some players. We immediately terminated the coach and his credentials to access our facilities, and worked in partnership with law enforcement to pursue the accusation as a police matter. Additionally we continued our internal investigation while we set up a support system for our student-athletes.
During our administrative team’s internal investigation, we have learned that three of the other coaches in our program (varsity and freshmen) had some knowledge of these interactions between the JV coach and student-athletes, and chose not to report them. As a result, they have been terminated as well.
To be clear – the other coaches are NOT accused of improper conduct with players; rather they did not meet the required threshold as a mandatory reporter to ensure the safety and well-being of student athletes.
I know this is not ideal so close to the start of the basketball season but our priority is student safety. School based social emotional support is being offered to all students and families affected by this incident. Athletic Coordinator Mike Cahill is also working to create some supervision for pre-season conditioning opportunities, while we actively look to fill the three open positions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.
Sincerely,
Chris Meussner
Principal
Farmington High School
Police say they are focusing their investigation on what took place away from the school at the coach’s home between him and team members on the boys' team. So far, it’s unknown when the alleged events took place.
“I hope we get better answers to our questions about allegations, pertaining to children on the basketball team,” the parent we talked to said.
Police say no arrest has been made yet.
The school has not said what type of training coaches are required to complete.
“Really a coach should not be having one-on-one interactions with minor athletes. They should be open and observable so other staff or parents can be invited to participate or at least watch and observe,” says Jocelyn Shafer with the U.S. Center For Safesport, which conducts training and in some cases bans coaches.
Parent Barrett Harr also says, “There’s very few instances where I think it’s appropriate for students to be at teachers' homes, and if they are what are the safety and guidelines there?”
Detroit Police SVU is now gathering evidence and conducting forensic interviews. The school says the three additional coaches fired are not believed to have committed any misconduct with players themselves.
After the allegations of improper conduct, the school has made social-emotional support available for all students and families impacted.
For more information on Safesport, visit the link: https://uscenterforsafesport.org/
