Myrtle Beach athletic director on leave for ‘failure to complete' job duties
An award-winning athletic director within Horry County Schools was recently placed on administrative leave with no public explanation.
John Cahill, Myrtle Beach High School's athletic director since 2011, was placed on leave May 7 'due to failure to complete job responsibilities,' according to a letter in his personnel file received via Freedom of Information Act request.
HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier told The Sun News she had no additional information to provide on the matter, but did confirm Cahill remains on leave as of Monday.
Cahill did not respond to a request for comment.
He will receive full pay and benefits, according to the letter, and the leave will continue 'until an investigation into this matter is complete.' Cahill was earning about $97,500 per year as of 2023, according to GovSalaries.com.
The letter, from HCS Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Anderson, further instructs Cahill not to enter Myrtle Beach High School or any other district property while on leave, and not contact any staff, students or their parents without prior permission from a supervisor.
Cahill has earned numerous accolades while serving more than a decade in his role, including being named South Carolina's athletic director of the year in 2016 and 2019 from various organizations, according to previous news reports from My Horry News.
Most recently, in March, Cahill received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association SC state merit award, given to one person annually from each state based off what they do for the good of their state and profession, according to a post from the MBHS athletics website.
Aside from the recent letter placing Cahill on leave, the only other disciplinary action documented in his personnel file is a letter of reprimand from Oct. 2023, written by MBHS Principal Kristin Altman.
That reprimand was related to a situation that The Sun News reported on last year involving the boys volleyball team. In that instance, a 16-year-old Filipino student on the team was questioned by police and briefly suspended for allegedly making a gang symbol with his hands, while white teammates making similar gestures were not questioned or disciplined.
The hand gesture was ultimately determined to be a half-heart symbol and the student's suspension was quickly revoked, but he ended up quitting the team due to feeling targeted, and the district admitted in a letter to his parents that proper protocols weren't followed.
Cahill and MBHS Assistant Principal Natalie Hunnell both received written reprimands related to the incident, according to records received by The Sun News via FOIA.
Cahill sent a response letter, also included in his personnel file, to Altman disputing the reprimand and claiming 'significant errors' in the district's investigation related to his role in the matter, though most of his response and Altman's initial letter describing the issues are redacted in the versions provided to The Sun News.
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