Gretchen Hoffman
A Hoover High School coach is the subject of a police
investigation and spent the past few months of the school year on
administrative leave, but neither school officials nor police will
say definitively what's going on.
Glendale Unified School District officials said allegations have
been brought against Sandra Melendez, a P.E. teacher and the Hoover
girls' soccer coach, but shed little light on what she was accused
of.
Melendez could not be reached for comment on Friday.
"We are not in the position to confirm or deny what the nature of
these allegations are," district spokesman Vic Pallos said. "The
allegations, to what we know, are of a serious nature. They were
turned over to the Glendale Police Department for an investigation."
Police also declined to comment on the nature of the
investigation, saying only that they have been investigating Melendez
since a police report was filed April 19.
"We are conducting an investigation," Glendale Police Sgt. Kirk
Palmer said. "It's ongoing, it hasn't been completed and we can't
release any details."
Several female students have been interviewed in the
investigation, Co-principal Kevin Welsh said. Welsh said only that
she was put on administrative leave due to her "job performance."
"There has been no indication [from Glendale Police] so far of any
wrongdoing as far as a criminal nature," Pallos said.
Melendez is still a Glendale Unified employee, but with the end of
the school year last week is no longer on administrative leave and is
not currently on the district payroll, Pallos said. If the
investigation has not concluded by the time school starts again, she
will be placed on administrative leave again pending the outcome of
the police investigation.
No decision will be made regarding Melendez' job status until the
investigation is complete, Welsh said.
Gary Moskowitz contributed
to this article.
