C.J. Jennings has resigned, effective immediately, as head boys basketball coach at Ark City High School, USD 470 announced Monday evening.
Jennings was placed on administrative leave late last month as the district investigated allegations of inappropriate communication between Jennings and a student. Internal investigations remain ongoing and the district said it is committed to cooperating with all authorities involved.
The resignation is from all coaching responsibilities with Ark City schools.
An email from a district spokesperson also included the following:
“The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities. Arkansas City Public Schools will not tolerate behavior that compromises the trust or safety of our students. We are dedicated to maintaining a secure and supportive environment for all students and will continue to take every necessary step to uphold that commitment.
We appreciate the ongoing support of our community during this time and will provide further updates as appropriate.” Continue story below ad.
Both Winfield Public Schools and Ark City Public Schools placed Jennings on leave in September. Though he coached for Ark City, he was a Winfield schools employee working at Ark City High School.
All his other duties, aside from coaching, are thus under the purview of USD 465.
The Special Education Services Cooperative is also working with the school districts on this matter.