Hartselle reports ineligible player

Hartselle High School has reported to the Alabama High School Athletic Association that it played an ineligible player on its JV baseball team during the 2011 season.

Principal Jeff Hyche confirmed that the report was filed with the AHSAA office about two weeks ago after an investigation revealed that the player’s eligibility ended when his parents purchased a house and moved out of town while the season was in progress.

“The player was ineligible when his parents moved because he had not been in our school system for nine months,” Hyche said. “We didn’t know that until a parent told us his residence had changed and we investigated and found the report to be true.”

“We take all of the steps necessary at the beginning of the school year to determine a student’s athletic eligibility,” Hyche stated. “Unfortunately, this is a case where a t student’s eligibility status changed without us being aware of it.”

At its regular meeting Monday, June 27, the Hartselle Board of Education went into executive session to discuss the good name and character of an employee. During the private session, School Superintendent Mike Reed and the board met with Joe and Kristi Jenkins, the parents of a former Hartselle baseball player.

The board took no action after it emerged from the closed session.

School Board President Jennifer Sittason announced that school board member Monty Vest asked to be excused from the executive session. Vest has family ties to head baseball coach William Booth.