Tempe Union votes not to accept disgraced Ahwatukee high school sports coach's resignation
Justin Hager (Photo Courtesy: Tempe Union High School District)
PHOENIX - FOX 10 has learned that the Governing Board of the Tempe Union High School District has voted to not accept the resignation of a sports coach who was accused of sharing privileged team information with opposing teams.
The coach, identified as Justin Hager, is accused of tipping off opposing teams, sharing all kinds of information that would give them the upper hand. Hager, who was Mountain Pointe High School's girls varsity basketball head coach and an assistant football coach, was caught sending hundreds of secret emails to opponents that featured game plans and diagrammed plays from a now-closed Yahoo account.
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Hager has resigned from his positions, according to Tempe Union High School District officials, and on Wednesday, the East Valley school district's Governing Board took up the issue of the resignation.
In a statement, Tempe Union High School District officials say the board voted, in a 5-0 vote, to reject Hager's resignation and move forward with a formal statement of charges instead. A formal statement of charges is described as the initial step the district must take to fire a certified employee.
Mountain Pointe High School is one of two public high schools located in Ahwatukee, a southern suburb of Phoenix that is located to the west of Tempe and Chandler, across the I-10. Tempe Union High School District officials say Tempe Police was not involved in the investigation, as the school district has found no criminal activity that is tied to the evidence they have obtained.
