Two girls lacrosse coaches at the regional high school were abruptly suspended this week for a team incident at practice that remains mostly under wraps.
Head coaches Kursten Moore and Bob Hayman were suspended on Tuesday for the remainder of the school year, high school athletic director Mark McCarthy said.
The suspensions came just days before the team, which has a winning record, was due to begin post-season play.
Mr. McCarthy said the suspension followed a week-and-a-half-long investigation into an incident that involves a violation of the school attendance policy for sports teams at practices.
“We investigated and discovered they did not follow protocol. We found it necessary to relieve them of their duties,” he said, speaking of the head coaches. “If a student doesn’t attend school or comes to school after a certain time, that player is not allowed to practice.”
He would not elaborate further, citing personnel and privacy rules for school employees.
“It’s very complex,” Mr. McCarthy said of the incident. “It involves multiple pieces and I can’t go into details. But it’s not as cut-and-dried as one incident.”
He could not confirm the date of the incident.
The attendance policy for sports teams is a school rule but also falls under the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, Mr. McCarthy said. “All policies and procedures of the school, they become part of the MIAA,” he explained. “They give minimum standards that we can use or make stricter.” Mr. McCarthy emphasized that the suspensions are in effect through the end of the school year. After that the situation will be evaluated, he said. All coaching positions at the high school are structured as yearly appointments, he also said.
Mr. McCarthy said junior varsity coaches Jenny Hart and Jo Douglas would take over as head coaches.
He said no players will be suspended, no laws were broken and no further action is anticipated.
Mr. McCarthy said both coaches were notified on Tuesday.
“Coach Moore was notified this afternoon via email,” he said. “She is in the hospital having a baby, and I didn’t want her finding out from the papers. I sent her a message saying congratulations and notifying her that she had been suspended. Coach Bob Hayman was notified in person this morning.”
He acknowledged the unfortunate timing all around.
“I wish it didn’t come to this,” he said. “But we are focused on the girls and moving forward.”
Julia Wells contributed reporting.
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