Past arrest of new Uniontown Area High School girls basketball coach has parents asking questions
The hiring of a girls basketball coach at Uniontown Area High School is causing concern among some fans.
Dierre Jenkins is the new girls basketball coach at the high school in Fayette County. But a past arrest for selling cocaine has parents asking why he got hired.
The Uniontown Area School Board voted to hire Jenkins at Monday's board meeting. After Jenkins' arrest in 2023, he entered a program for first-time offenders that led to his criminal charges being dismissed and his record expunged.
While Jenkins does have a lot of support in the community, there are still those who don't believe in second chances in this instance.
"I wouldn't want my kid to be exposed to somebody who has that criminal past," said Ashley Fairfax.
Fairfax is a parent in the Uniontown Area School District. She called the hiring of Jenkins disappointing. She believes athletic coaches fall into the same category as teachers and should be held to a different standard.
''They're around children and they're also public servants, basically, that they should be held accountable for their actions," she said. "I believe there's a second chance out there for him. I don't necessarily believe it should be at a school with children."
Jenkins most recently served as an assistant boys basketball coach at neighboring Laurel Highlands High School before he was let go in 2023 after Pennsylvania State Police filed charges accusing him of selling cocaine to a confidential informant.
"I think everyone deserves a second chance. If he's going to clean himself up, let him have it," parent Hattie Hughes said.
Under the former district attorney, Jenkins entered an accelerated rehabilitative disposition program for first-time offenders.
"There's a lot for people who make bad decisions, and then turn their life around and do much better for themselves the second time," Hughes added.
Jenkins was a 2002 graduate of Uniontown Area High School and a member of the 2002 WPIAL basketball championship team.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, Superintendent Dr. Dan Bosnic said, in part:
"Coach Jenkins is recognized as an alumnus of the school and has a passion for the game of basketball. We look forward to the future success of our girls basketball program."
Jenkins told KDKA-TV's Shelley Bortz off-camera that he's excited to be the team's coach and is looking forward to the challenge.
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