The Sacramento Bee, December 3, 1997
ENCINA BASKETBALL COACH FIRED; INVESTIGATION ON SEXUAL INVOLVEMENT WITH
STUDENT ALLEGED
By Janine DeFao, Bee Staff Writer
   Encina High School basketball coach Jon Hightower, a well-liked and
successful coach, was fired Monday and is under criminal investigation
for alleged sexual involvement with a female student.
   San Juan Unified School District officials said Tuesday they fired
Hightower - who also was a counselor at the school - but would not say
why, citing employee privacy rights. But the Sacramento County Sheriff's
Department confirmed that its sexual abuse unit is investigating allegations
involving Hightower, 34, and a 16-year-old female student. Spokeswoman
Sharon Telles said the department became aware of the allegations last week.
   A woman who answered the phone at Hightower's home Tuesday afternoon hung
up on a reporter seeking comment. Hightower did not respond to a message
left later on his answering machine.
   Hightower, in his third season as coach of Encina's boys varsity
basketball team, last year led the team to the Division IV state
championships for the first time in school history. They lost to
Crossroads of Santa Monica.
   The successful season was marred by controversy surrounding ineligible
players. The team forfeited its first 15 wins, but went on to win the
Sac-Joaquin Section and Northern California titles.
   "It's going to put a strain on them. They all loved Hightower," Steve
Peeler Sr., whose son is on the team, said of Hightower's termination. "I
think he was a very good coach. He gave the kids a lot of guidance, on the
court and off the court." Peeler said he had not heard about the
allegations, nor that Hightower had been fired.
   When Hightower missed the team's first game of the season last week,
athletic director Russ Hibbard said Hightower was out for health
reasons, Peeler said. Hibbard, who has taken over varsity basketball
coaching duties for the season, declined to comment at Tuesday's practice.
He also refused to allow his players to be interviewed.
   San Juan district spokeswoman Christine Olsen said Hightower was hired as
the varsity boys basketball coach in October 1995. He began working the
following October as a counselor. Hightower remained a "temporary" employee
as he coached and worked to complete his counseling credential, she said. As
a temporary employee, he cannot appeal his termination.
   Olsen said a background check was done on Hightower when he was hired and
that the district does not hire persons convicted of sex, drug or violent
offenses. Before coming to Encina, Hightower was the assistant basketball
coach at Sacramento City College for eight years.
   Olsen would not say when the district began investigating the
allegations against Hightower, but did say that "in typical circumstances,
whenever serious allegations are raised, the investigation is immediate."
   "It's typical when the district is investigating serious allegations that
an employee would be asked not to go back on campus until the investigation
was concluded," she added. "The district's first response to any serious
allegation is to respect the rights of the employee, but first and foremost
to provide protection for students until the investigation is complete."
   San Juan students did not have school last week.
   Encina Principal Tom Gemma said Tuesday that Hightower is barred from
returning to the campus. While he said there are some concerns about how
Hightower's removal would affect the team, "we're just going to move on from
this and move in a positive direction."
   "At this point the transfer of power or leadership has been done. We have
concerns we're dealing with on a day-to-day basis," Gemma said. But "we're
heading toward what we think will be a good season."