Canton City Schools defend decision to fire coach accused of forcing student to eat pizza against religious beliefs

CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - Superintendent Jeffrey Talbert addressed the recent incident regarding the football program and a student being forced to eat a pizza against religious beliefs.

Seven of the coaches will not have their contracts renewed to coach football, according to the school district.

Administrators met for a hearing with two of the coaches this past Monday to discuss their non-football employment.

Two other coaches will have their hearings this upcoming Monday, then Superintendent Talbert will make a recommendation to the board, according to the Canton City School District.

The remaining three coaches were not employed by the district outside of football.

Here is part of the statement:

“Let us be clear, the Canton City School District holds our coaching and general staff to the highest professional and ethical standards. Anything short of these standards is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Although this has been a difficult situation, this incident does not reflect the Canton City School District’s culture of protecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students. We have a culture that is committed to excellence for our students and staff. As we move forward, we are dedicated to delivering on that commitment.”

You can watch Superintendent Talbert’s full statement below.

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