An Everett Alvarez High School coach resigns after players speak at a public meeting about his behavior. | Local News

Amid the heated discussion of critical racial theory and ethnic studies at a July 13 board meeting of the Salinas Union High School District, comments by a group of basketball players on another topic stood out: They claimed that their basketball coach Chris Jackson repeatedly verbally abused them and the Team morale weakened.

“He is abusing his power as head coach against the girls’ university team,” Anahi Ceballos Tapia told the board. “During the games, he takes me out and tells me, ‘Get your shit together.'” She looked worried and interrupted her account several times. She said she believed Jackson had trouble coping with anger.

The players said they were constantly exposed to verbal abuse. A player who only gave her first name as Naomi said she reported two years ago that Jackson had pushed her head and nothing was done.

Another player, Fiorela Arellano, said team members had complained multiple times but nothing was done. She said they spoke to assistant principal and sports administrator Ricardo Vazquez. “He made jokes out of everything,” Arellano told the board. “He didn’t take us seriously. We should be taken seriously[ly]. “

Arellano said one of the assistant coaches will call them “babies” and added, “He flirts with us a lot.” She said they complained about his behavior and that he was temporarily removed from the coaching team.

A couple of mothers came to support the girls. One said at least 10 players complained to the Everett Alvarez High School athletics department and nothing was resolved. She said in Spanish that she saw her daughter cry over the team’s treatment and, despite playing basketball for six years, she stopped playing.

After the players shared their complaints with the board, SUHSD Superintendent Dan Burns said the district would follow up and asked for their contact information.

According to a statement from SUHSD, on July 7, a week before the board meeting, the district received a complaint from the players and staff were investigating it. They did not provide details of this investigation.

Jackson resigned on July 15. He declined to comment on this story.

Marcos Cabrera, the district’s communications director, says he is unaware of previous complaints. But the players said they had complained for over two years. (The Weekly filed a motion under the California Public Records Act requesting prior complaints.)

The SUHSD complaint form is available on the district’s website in English and Spanish. In it, the person making the complaint must describe the incident in detail, note whether there were any witnesses, specific times and dates, and what steps they took to resolve the problem. According to Cabrera, the form is open to everyone. Complaints are handled by the HR department: “Students do not have to go to the school principal first when submitting an application [complaint]. “

The outcome of a complaint can be challenged with the California Department of Education within 15 days of receiving the district decision.