Coaches ignored reports of sexual assault on high school softball team, Texas cops say
Two softball coaches at a Texas high school were arrested after police say they failed to act on reports of sexual assault within their team and told a student to handle it herself.
The head and assistant coach for the softball team at Prosper High School were both charged with misdemeanor charges of failure to report, according to probable cause affidavits from the Prosper Independent School District’s Police Department.
A student and her mother met with the head and assistant coaches of the high school’s softball team on Aug. 7, two days before the start of the school year, according to police.
During the meeting, the student told the two coaches that a player on the team had sexually assaulted three other teammates during off-campus sleepovers over the summer, the affidavit says.
Telling the coaches
Upon hearing about the allegations, the head coach told the student making the report that the accused student “was a good player and that they didn’t want to lose her,” according to investigators.
When police asked the head coach later why she didn’t report this, she told investigators she didn’t know she had to report a third-party allegation, according to the affidavit.
As mandated reporters, the two coaches were required to report allegations of sexual assault, the school district told McClatchy News in a statement.
“State law mandates that educators file a report within 48 hours when they develop suspicions of potential child abuse or neglect,” the school wrote to families and staff on Aug. 24, the day the head coach was arrested. “Prosper ISD requires employees to undergo training to ensure they know the proper steps to report such cases.”
The coach told the student to handle the matter with the accused player directly, and instructed her to tell the accused player that if she didn’t stop, the coaches would hear about it, according to the affidavit.
The student told investigators she texted the accused player and told her if she didn’t stop, she would tell the coach.
The assistant coach was present during the meeting but did not speak, the student’s mother told investigators.
When police asked the assistant coach about the case, she told investigators she believed the head coach was going to investigate the allegations, according to the affidavit.
Coming to light
The investigation began when the student brought up the sexual assaults to her therapist, who then filed a report with Child Protective Services, police say.
The Children’s Advocacy Center contacted Prosper ISD police on Aug. 17, the affidavit says. The department began investigating the allegations that each coach “knowingly engaged in failing to report as a mandated reporter,” investigators say.
Prosper ISD police shared a statement with McClatchy News that went out to the high school’s families and staff on Aug. 24.
“Today, an arrest warrant was issued for former Prosper High School teacher … for a misdemeanor failure to report alleged child abuse that occurred off school property this summer,” police wrote. “When we were made aware of this allegation last week, (the head coach) was immediately placed on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation.
“Our school district remains committed to improving our students’ lives, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure their safety, protection, and well-being.”
A similar email went out four days later when the assistant coach was arrested, a spokesperson with Prosper ISD police said.
Both coaches were recent hires. The school announced on social media the head coach’s hiring in May and the assistant coach’s hiring in June.
The two women were booked in Collin County Jail, records show.
It is not clear if police are investigating the alleged sexual assaults. McClatchy News did not immediately hear back when requesting additional information from the Prosper Independent School District’s Police Department.
Prosper is about 60 miles northeast of Fort Worth.
High school allowed sexual abuse of hazed freshman football players, Tennessee suit says
High school didn’t let teen have American flags on truck, family says. They pulled him
Students escape bus after engine catches fire on the way to school, California cops say
Teen girl fatally shot after 15-year-old sneaks into bedroom at night, OK officials say
