Lee County School District is responding to two improper situations involving high school sports by issuing an addendum to the school district’s code of conduct that applies to athletics and activities.
Superintendent Denise Carlin and Director of Arts, Athletics, Activities and Administration Justin Budmayr at a press conference Tuesday cited separate occurrences at North Fort Myers High School and Mariner High School as evidence of a need for greater clarity on expectations of athletes and coaches.
An investigation by the district revealed an alleged “pay to play” situation regarding the North Fort Myers High School baseball program. As a result, Joseph Bowen, athletic director at North Fort Myers High School, has been suspended for some weeks and Carlin is now recommending his termination.
According to case notes supplied to the media, the school district found alleged instances of outside control over the baseball program, failure to follow school district policies including background checks of volunteer coaches, and substandard living conditions and housing of North Fort Myers High School baseball players.
The alleged takeover involves the owner of the for-profit Fort Myers Baseball Academy, Ben Bizier.
Witnesses, in corroboration with screenshots of text, claim that although Dennis Senelis was then head coach of NFMHS baseball, it was Bizier calling the shots, from coaching decisions to deciding player lineups and determining playing time.
Apparently, students who paid the academy for training received more playing time than students who did not. Documentation provided by a former academy player showed a NFMHS baseball roster with checkmarks and notations saying "trains" to indicate which students attended the academy and paid a $500 fee.
The school district’s statement (with names redacted) claims that multiple parents brought the issue to Bowen’s attention, but he allegedly responded by saying that Senelis had no affiliation with the academy, which former assistant coach and former academy employee Dan Hill disputes.
All volunteer coaches are required to complete background checks. System records indicate this was not done.
The investigation also found that students enrolled at NFMHS and affiliated with the academy baseball program were living in harsh conditions at properties owned by Senelis in Cape Coral. Some students listed Senelis’ property at 3803 Pelican Blvd., Cape Coral, as their primary address. The district report refers to photos of a bedroom setup located in the garage of the Pelican Boulevard property.
Since the investigation is ongoing, school officials made no further comment.
Incidents of inadequate supervision at Mariner High School occurred at a lock-in during July, after which Head Coach Tyran Jones resigned and five other coaches were terminated.
The athletic code of conduct will have its first reading at the board of education workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 13 and a second reading at the board’s action meeting Nov. 17, at which time the board will vote on the measure. It is set to be implemented in time for spring sports.
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