20, 23 & 30-year-old Playing highschool sports
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greensleevss
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20, 23 & 30-year-old Playing highschool sports
High School Principal says maybe he made a "poor choice" in allowing a 30-year-old, a 23-year-old and a 20-year-old attend class and play on the soccer and football teams
News Story
Immokalee High School Principal Manny Touron says maybe he made a "poor choice."
By allowing a 23-year-old Haitian man who also played soccer from 2002-04 to remain a student two years beyond the age limit of 21, Touron disregarded state law and the concerns of an on-campus Sheriff's Office deputy from October until this month.
But you would never know he made a poor choice by the statements of Collier County Public Schools Superintendent Ray Baker or School Board member Pat Carroll. They say Touron is a great guy who should not be punished for making one mistake, and praise him for keeping the administration informed of what was going on. If that were really the case, the administration knew of the rule-breaking student as long as Touron did.
Making matters worse is Touron's written statement in a May 5 e-mail to a superior that Touron did not know the deputy would file a report. Had he known, Touron wrote, he would have removed the student in October.
The cumulative reaction from Touron and other school officials is that their only regret is that all of this came to light and that the sports program may retroactively forfeit games of football and soccer in which the 23-year-old — plus a 30-year-old whose age was first officially suspected in late April and confirmed on May 2 — took part.
If the true ages of these men can be determined now, why couldn't they have been determined as early as 2002 when they started participating in sports?
A third man, now 20, has been reported along with the others to the Florida High School Athletic Association. His offense is playing soccer beyond the age limit of 19 years, 9 months. Touron, in addition to being principal, is an assistant soccer coach. He was close to the goings-on.
There are other education options available to adults — also at public expense. Why did the three men in Immokalee choose high school? Because adult education programs don't have soccer teams?
The bottom line is that rules were broken and systems failed. We hear only excuses, excuses. No one is being held accountable.
News Story
Immokalee High School Principal Manny Touron says maybe he made a "poor choice."
By allowing a 23-year-old Haitian man who also played soccer from 2002-04 to remain a student two years beyond the age limit of 21, Touron disregarded state law and the concerns of an on-campus Sheriff's Office deputy from October until this month.
But you would never know he made a poor choice by the statements of Collier County Public Schools Superintendent Ray Baker or School Board member Pat Carroll. They say Touron is a great guy who should not be punished for making one mistake, and praise him for keeping the administration informed of what was going on. If that were really the case, the administration knew of the rule-breaking student as long as Touron did.
Making matters worse is Touron's written statement in a May 5 e-mail to a superior that Touron did not know the deputy would file a report. Had he known, Touron wrote, he would have removed the student in October.
The cumulative reaction from Touron and other school officials is that their only regret is that all of this came to light and that the sports program may retroactively forfeit games of football and soccer in which the 23-year-old — plus a 30-year-old whose age was first officially suspected in late April and confirmed on May 2 — took part.
If the true ages of these men can be determined now, why couldn't they have been determined as early as 2002 when they started participating in sports?
A third man, now 20, has been reported along with the others to the Florida High School Athletic Association. His offense is playing soccer beyond the age limit of 19 years, 9 months. Touron, in addition to being principal, is an assistant soccer coach. He was close to the goings-on.
There are other education options available to adults — also at public expense. Why did the three men in Immokalee choose high school? Because adult education programs don't have soccer teams?
The bottom line is that rules were broken and systems failed. We hear only excuses, excuses. No one is being held accountable.