Head football coach Jody Morgan has resigned after an attorney hired by the Wasatch County School District investigated allegations he verbally and emotionally abused students.
In a statement, the district said although Morgan will no longer be coaching, he’ll remain a teacher in the district. He will be assigned to a different school.
The statement also said the outside investigation did not find bullying or other violations of state law. It said since the allegations of abuse weren’t substantiated, the investigation report will not be released.
However, the district said the allegations “were clearly brought in good faith and raised legitimate concerns.” It did not specify the nature of those concerns.
A parent who claimed Morgan bullied his son said he was “disgusted” by the district’s statement that the allegations were unsubstantiated.
“I don’t understand how you come to that conclusion,” he said.
That father said the decision sent a message that district leaders don’t listen when students raise concerns about an adult’s behavior.
Another parent who alleged Morgan verbally and emotionally abused his son called the district’s decision “heartbreaking.”
“The school completely discredited a student’s firsthand, honest admission of this type of bullying and harassment, and then the school turned around and covered [it] up,” he said.
The second father said the decision risked students’ safety and discouraged students from reporting harassment and misconduct.
And a mother who said her son had been abused by Morgan asked why the boys’ stories weren’t given more weight in the investigation.
“The investigator did say that she felt the boys who filed complaints were valid and real, but that she wasn't able to find other people to back them up,” she said. “I mean, how many people do you need to file a complaint to understand that it actually happened?”
The investigator declined to comment, telling KPCW to direct any questions about the investigation to the school district.
Morgan didn’t respond to KPCW's requests for comment Tuesday.
According to the district statement, assistant football coach Derik Bringhurst has been appointed interim head coach. The district said it will post the open position immediately but did not mention a hiring timeline.
