School board unsure how to respond
Several incidents involving a transgender, part-time high school tennis coach in Pennsylvania have made some students and parents uncomfortable. And now, the school board is divided on whether to renew the coach’s contract.
Employed at Gettysburg Area School District, the coach was hired as David Yates. Mr. Yates now goes by the name Sasha Yates, and publicly identifies as a transgender woman, according to the Gettysburg Times.
Mr. Yates has been a seasonal boys and girls tennis coach since 2018. Sports news coverage of the Gettysburg tennis team used the name David Yates in 2021, but in 2022, the coach was being called Sasha Yates. The school district’s website lists an email address using the name Sasha, but click on the email address, and the name David appears. Mr. Yates did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
After several incidents involving students, one in the fall of 2022 and another in the spring of 2023, the school board had decided not to rehire Mr. Yates for another season. However, no replacement was hired and, to the surprise of some board members, in July, the name David Yates reappeared on the hiring list for another season of tennis coaching.
A vote on Aug. 7 to rehire or not rehire was deadlocked at 3-3, with one person abstaining. They will vote again on Monday, Aug. 21, in what promises to be a packed school board meeting.
A social media storm has erupted under the assumption that those voting not to rehire are acting simply because of Mr. Yates’ transgender identity. But there is more to the story.
‘You’re a Man’
In the fall of 2022, the tennis coach entered the girls’ locker room where the girls soccer team was changing. Mr. Yates changed his clothing too, stripping down to bra and panties, a school board member familiar with the situation told The Epoch Times, adding that students reported that it was clear from what they saw that Mr. Yates was still fully a man.
Two school board members have students on the soccer team and at least one of their students was present when this occurred, the board member said.
At that time, the school board decided not to rehire Mr. Yates. But when the name Sasha Yates was used in the next round of coach hirings, not everyone on the board recognized this as the same person.
By Beth Brelje
