HS Coach Accused Of Dating Student Requires Investigation, School Committee Says

Three School Committee members are calling for an investigation into the actions of a city softball coach who allegedly had a romantic relationship with a student as well as how the school district responded to the news.

Kristin Palpini

01/14/2021 11:06 a.m.

Alberto Hernandez Jr., 42, of Chicopee, was the Central High School softball coach in Springfield who was forced to resign after a student said that the two began a relationship while she was a sophomore, according to MassLive.

Hernandez has not worked in the Springfield Public School system for about a month.

The former softball coach was first hired in 2009. He was also a paraprofessional with the district.

The accusations have been supported by photos and videos posted to social media by the student who came forward. They appear to show the former coach and the girl kissing. She said the two started a relationship when she was 16.

School Committee members interviewed by MassLive said they need to know more about what happened between the student and the coach and how the school district handled the news. Specifically, committee members said they wanted to know who knew, what actions were taken, and why is the committee only finding out about it now. A robocall sent out by the school district on Sunday, Jan. 10 informed the wider community of what had happened.

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