A track coach and physical education teacher in Indiana has reached a settlement with his employer to leave the school.
According to the IndyStar, Craig Jordan, 28, has reached an undisclosed settlement with Greencastle High School over a dispute that caused Emma Wilson, the state’s top female high school distance runner, to quit the team.
Jordan’s attorney declined to comment other than to say that he and his client are happy with the settlement.
Jordan had accused Greencastle of putting him on leave for racially motivated reasons. Jordan was the only black teacher in the school district.
Wilson, a five-time state champion and now a signee with the University of Illinois, said that Jordan’s firing is what lead her to quit the team her senior year. She called the action taken against him “shameful.”
“I am sad that I’m not going to state,” Wilson said. “At this point, I don’t even care anymore. I don’t want to run for Greencastle any more. I just want to run for coach.”
Wilson has continued to be coached by Jordan, racing in open meets. In a recent indoor meet at Geneva, Ohio, she ran 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 58.28 seconds and 3,200 meters in 10:27.53 – both the fastest times by an Indiana girl this year.
The reasons for Jordan’s firing are unclear. A letter from Greencastle superintendent Jeff Hubble, obtained by IndyStar, had cited Jordan for “an irretrievable breakdown in your professional relationships that cannot be resolved.”
