OVIEDO, Fla. — The Oviedo High School baseball coach who resigned last week after an internal investigation admitted to having a prohibited personal relationship with a female student and to watching a pornographic video featuring the girl, according to a report.
Channel 9's Karla Ray obtained a report indicating that the investigation centers on Facebook messages
s between Harold Hitt and a girl who is a senior.
Hitt is not accused of having a physical relationship with the young woman, who is now 19 but was 18 when the Facebook messages began, according to the report.
Photos: Facebook messages between coach and student
According to the report, the assistant principal reported seeing Hitt sitting next to the then-18-year-old student in late April. The administrator described the girl as looking uncomfortable as she sat next to Hitt in one of the school's common areas.
Hitt was the girl's senior adviser. In his messages, he frequently called her his BFF or his BAE, which is slang for "before anyone else," according to the report.
Hitt also signed his messages to the student "Luv ya," the report says.
According to the report, the two admitted in interviews with Seminole County school leaders that they met on campus to talk and that in September, Hitt sent a long message to the girl asking her if anyone had access to her Facebook messages, saying he didn't want to cause trouble if someone saw their conversations.
The girl told investigators that Hitt had been messaging her for more than a year and that she felt uncomfortable with their relationship but she never came forward because of fear of retaliation by the coach and teacher.
One of the messages included a photo with Hitt that was taken at the girl's senior prom. She claimed that on the night of the prom, Hitt kissed her while he was drunk. Hitt denied that accusation and investigators said they could not prove the alleged incident happened.
According to documents, Hitt admitted to viewing a sexually explicit video of the female student after another student sent him a web link.
Three weeks after the investigation into the relationship was launched, Hitt led the Oviedo High School boys' baseball team to its first state championship.
He resigned his coaching position last week, but remained as a physical education teacher at the school.
Ray learned that this is not the first time Hitt has been warned about using Facebook to communicate with students.
After another female student was overheard talking about a private message conversation, Hitt was told in February to stop all communication with students via social media. Documents show that he agreed to do that because it could get him into trouble.
Ray learned Monday that the Seminole County Schools superintendent plans to recommend that Hitt be suspended without pay from his teaching position at the school. That recommendation is expected to be made at Tuesday's school board meeting.
An email from Seminole County Public Schools to Ray read: "I am disgusted by the recent allegations raised about a few of our 7,500 outstanding SCPS employees. These allegations are damaging to our profession and to our district. We will continue to investigate every reported incident, report all suspected criminal activity to the police and take appropriate disciplinary action, including termination. There is nothing more important to me than the safety of our children." - Dr. Walt Griffin, Superintendent, Seminole County Public Schools
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