MEAD, Wash. – has announced that it has fired Mead High School’s football coach Keith Stamps following an investigation into allegations of , student misconduct and the coach’s failure to report or appropriately address the issue.
According to an email from the Mead School District, the allegations stem from reports of student-to-student misconduct at the district’s summer football camp at Eastern Washington University in June 2023. The school district said that a series of emails from concerned parents and subsequent meetings revealed that Stamps, who was made aware of the allegations, didn’t fully investigate or report them to school district officials in a timely manner, according to the email. The misconduct included claims of sexual harassment and abuse among students.
According to the district’s findings, Stamps was first alerted to misconduct in July 2023 via an email from a parent, which referenced assaultive behavior involving a “massage gun” and a video of the incident. He stated that he spoke with multiple students about the report and determined that no misconduct had occurred. However, it was revealed that Stamps received a second, similar report in August 2023, which included additional allegations of inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct and comments made by a coach. The school district said that despite receiving this email, Stamps did not inform district officials or conduct a more thorough investigation.
According to the school district, the allegations in the August email said that there were reports of older students engaging in inappropriate behavior with a younger student, as well as a coach allegedly making dismissive comments about the seriousness of the situation. Stamps admitted to having read the email but said that he didn’t believe the allegations were credible and did not pursue further investigation. He also failed to notify the school administration of the additional allegations until they were discovered through a public records request in November.
“It wasn’t until after the email was discovered that you were asked about the email. The first time I asked you about the email (in a meeting on Nov. 21, 2024), you admitted to reading that email. You recalled following-up on the phone with the parent who sent the message to you. You admitted that you did no deeper investigation of these new allegations. You said that nothing in the August email had been “verified” and these allegations were simply part of a “rumor mill.” However, truth is, you did nothing to revisit the football camp incidents in light of this new information,” the school district said in the email.
The school district said that a later investigation further revealed discrepancies in Stamps’ statements. In meetings earlier in this year, Stamps didn’t disclose the August 2023 email, leading to concerns about his honesty and transparency. These findings, combined with his failure to act on the misconduct reports, have prompted the district to fire Stamps.
“Your failure to inform school or district administrators about the allegations contained in the August email has had a detrimental effect on our students, staff, programs, and community. These allegations were left unaddressed for months, resulting in delayed Title IX investigations, delayed corrective measures for the aggressors, and delayed support for the victims, ultimately fueling a media firestorm, lawsuits, and calling into question the community’s trust in this District,” the email said.
As a result of the investigation, the district said that they have determined that Stamps violated professional standards and the district’s responsibilities to ensure student safety. The findings also noted that Stamps’ actions had a significant negative impact on the district’s ability to foster a safe environment for students.
