Shelby County Schools fires basketball coach after sexual misconduct investigation

Chris Gaither has been terminated from Shelby County Schools.

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Chris Gaither- the former Martha Layne Collins High School basketball coach- was fired this week, following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate communication with current and/or former students, according to district officials.

The termination marks a tipping point in an investigation that sparked community outrage, a contentious school board meeting, and promises of policy reform.

How we got here

This story began more than a month ago, on December 4th, when Hayley Weddle walked into Shelby County Schools' central office with a written statement.

Weddle, a 2014 graduate of Martha Layne Collins, detailed what she said was an inappropriate relationship with Gaither that began when she was 17 and a team manager on his basketball team.

The district opened an investigation the next day- December 5th. This was actually the second investigation into Gaither within 30 days. The first had been closed after board attorneys found no evidence of wrongdoing, according to district officials.

But then days went by. And Gaither remained in the building.

'Swept under the rug'

On December 9th- five days after filing her complaint- Weddle learned Gaither was still teaching. That night, he was on the sidelines coaching a basketball game.

That's when she made a decision that would change everything.

Weddle posted her written statement publicly on social media.

"I had tried to go through the appropriate channels, but it did not feel like they were going to do anything," she told me. "It felt like it would be swept under the rug, as it has been before."

In her statement, Weddle described a pattern of behavior that started during her junior year. Late-night messages on Snapchat. Comments about her appearance. Being pulled out of class to spend time alone in his classroom. Questions about her relationships with boys and her sexual history.

Two weeks after her May 2014 graduation, Weddle said she was babysitting Gaither's children while his wife was out of town. When he got home that evening, she said he kissed her. She left, she told me, "very confused and uncomfortable."

The next day, Gaither invited her over again. That's when they had sex. She was 18. He was her former coach and teacher.

"I blamed myself for years," Weddle said. "But he had been grooming me since I was 16."

Social media changed everything

Within hours of Weddle's public post, multiple people contacted Shelby County Schools' central office with additional information.

That's when Gaither was suspended- December 10th, with pay, pending investigation.

The community responds

Two days later, on December 12th, the Shelby County School Board held a regularly scheduled meeting. And the room was packed.

Parents, former students, and staff came with more than just frustration. They came with specific policy recommendations: Commission an independent investigation into how past allegations were handled. Close the post-graduation loophole. Explicitly define grooming behaviors. Require annual public reporting of misconduct investigations.

"Secrecy is what allows abuse to thrive," former student Laura Wills-Coppelman told the board. "Choose to act before another student is harmed."

When the 15-minute public comment period ended, Board Member Joanna Freels tried to move on.

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A school board meeting turned tense on Thursday night, as the room, filled with parents, staff, and former students, demanded answers in an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new

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"We appreciate you all voicing your opinion," Freels said. "We don't ever answer questions. After we meet, we'll discuss things after the meeting."

The room erupted.

Superintendent Dr. Joshua Matthews tried to say they would be transparent when possible, but was drowned out by outbursts from the crowd.

"You just said you're not answering questions, how is that transparent?" one woman shouted.

When Freels said "Ok, we'll just move," trying to proceed with the agenda, parents shouted back: "We're not moving on!" "You can't just move on from this!"

About 40 minutes into the meeting, much of the crowd got up and walked out.

"No one cares about anything else you have to say," one woman said on her way out the door.

Board members stayed silent

The next morning, I reached out to all five school board members asking about their perspective on the community's response, what the board could and couldn't share during an investigation, the timeline moving forward, and how the district planned to address community concerns.

Only two responded- neither would answer questions.

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Parents proposed policy changes and asked about process; most board members won’t respond “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe to support our mission

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Board member Andrew Cline cited legal restrictions on commenting about personnel matters. Board member Brenda Jackson said she didn't feel comfortable speaking because "the trust factor, in my opinion was broken" at the meeting.

Three board members- Joanna Freels, Sarah Reed, and Sonya Blackburn- didn't respond at all.

Policy changes proposed

Nearly a month after Weddle first filed her complaint, on January 7th, Superintendent Matthews sent a letter to the community outlining three proposed initiatives:

• A new anonymous reporting system using QR codes that would allow two-way communication
• Third-party investigators for allegations of sexual misconduct "and other complex cases"
• Partnership with local law enforcement for prevention education and staff training

The letter emphasized these were recommendations the district was working to develop before formally presenting them to the board for approval. No timeline was provided.

The proposals directly mirrored what community members had demanded at that December meeting.

The investigation

Now, more than a month after Hayley Weddle filed her complaint, the Gaither's paid suspension has ended with the termination of his contract.

He has 10 days to file an appeal.

The district has not provided details about the investigation's findings or confirmed how many people ultimately came forward with allegations. Officials have not said whether the investigation was conducted by district personnel or outside investigators.

Gaither had already been removed from his coaching position earlier this month while the investigation continued. Now he's been fired from the district entirely.

Why Hayley came forward

For Weddle, this was never about revenge. It was about protection.

"I have a daughter now," she told me. "And I kept thinking about all the girls in that building. If something happened to one of them and I never said anything, I couldn't live with that."

She carried this secret for a decade, wrestling with shame and self-blame. But she reached a point where she couldn't stay silent anymore-not when Gaither still had access to students.

"I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else," she said.

Going public wasn't easy. But it was necessary.

"I hope that if there are other girls out there, they know they're not alone. And they know it's not their fault."

What happens now

Gaither's termination closes one chapter. But questions remain about the others.

The district proposed policy changes but hasn't implemented them. The community demanded an independent review of how past allegations were handled- that hasn't happened. And the proposed annual reporting of misconduct investigations hasn't been formalized.

The trust that was broken at that December 12th meeting? That's going to take more than proposals to rebuild.

For the parents who walked out of that meeting. For the former students who found the courage to come forward. For Hayley Weddle, who tried to do everything right through proper channels and had to go public to get action.

They're watching to see if this is meaningful change or just a resolution to one case.

The difference matters.

I'll continue following this story- tracking whether proposals become policies, whether those policies make students safer, and whether the district follows through on its promise of transparency.

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