Gig Harbor High coaches on administrative leave following ‘complaint,’ district says
Three Gig Harbor High School girls basketball coaches were put on administrative leave on Jan. 27 for the rest of the season, according to a Peninsula School District news release.
The district made the decision in the course of an internal investigation, initiated after they received a complaint against the coaches, the release said. The investigation is ongoing while the coaches are on leave, and an interim coach will be hired in their absence for the rest of the season, the release said.
This investigation is not the same as the one launched after a Gig Harbor High School girls basketball player allegedly called a Peninsula High School player a racial slur at a Jan. 11, 2023 game. That investigation was closed in March 2023 after officials couldn’t confirm the slur was used, The News Tribune reported.
For the incident being investigated now, “there was no student involvement whatsoever,” district spokesperson Danielle Chastaine told The News Tribune via phone on Jan. 29.
The district will not share further details at this time, according to the release.
“The GHHS administrators and PSD leadership understand this sudden change will be disruptive, but the decision was deemed necessary to protect the well-being of PSD’s students and the integrity of the GHHS Girls Basketball program,” the release said.
Asked via email if the team will be able to play all of their upcoming games, Chastaine wrote The News Tribune that the team “will finish their season as expected.”
The News Tribune also asked if the three coaches constituted the team’s entire coaching staff, and for the names of the coaches. Chastaine declined to share their names.
According to the Gig Harbor Tides athletics website, the girls varsity basketball team is scheduled to play against Central Kitsap High School Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7:15 p.m. and Mount Tahoma High School Friday at 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 12:38 PM.
