AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. — An Amador County school district's investigation into a chat thread alleged to be racist in tone continues, but district officials have managed to clear some students and staff from being involved.
In a message sent out to parents and students of the Amador County Unified School District, officials said clearing students from involvement with the chat thread was their first priority.
“The nature of the thread was disturbing and inappropriate with content that does not fall in line with the values that we instill in our learning community,” Superintendent Torie Gibson said in the letter.
In the aftermath of the chat thread investigation, the Amador High School varsity football team was suspended and had their remaining season canceled. In the district's latest update, Gibson said the cancelation of the season was necessary and "the right thing to do in this case."
While some students were cleared, Gibson said that based on the number of students identified as being on the group chat, there wouldn't have been enough players for their varsity team this year.
Three staff members were also put on leave during the investigation. Gibson's letter said that staff members identified as Mr. Kantack and Mr. Cagle didn't have any advanced knowledge of the chat thread and were cleared of wrongdoing.
Officials said administrative leave is standard practice during an investigation.
"The final phase of the investigation relates to site administration and the clearance of that staff member. We will continue to update the community as we obtain additional details related to this topic," Gibson said in the email.
The investigation into the chat thread is still ongoing, but officials said there is a need to continue reviewing and improving their internal systems and expectations. They expect to have their investigation into the chat thread completed with a report to the school board later in November.
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