PASD parents and athletes show support for suspended wrestling coaches

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

The Palmyra school board heard from over a dozen parents and current and former wrestlers showing support for two suspended wrestling coaches during the Jan. 8 meeting.

They expressed concerns about the district suspending head coach Jonathan Regets and assistant coach Joshua Weidman pending an investigation and shared stories of the two men’s positive influence.

The suspension, according to members of the public and Regets, came immediately after a wrestler who allegedly violated the code of conduct habitually for years was disciplined at a December match. Neither the board nor the two coaches identified the student, but speakers during the public comment period of the meeting mentioned one of board member Corey Andrew’s sons by name.

The district has not publicly detailed the reasons for the suspensions, but public comment at the meeting suggested that they may have also been linked to a previously-unreported incident during a past season that Regets described as leading this past month to “an allegation of not reporting properly.”

In total, 17 people spoke or had letters read by someone else during the meeting in a show of support for the coaches. Even more submitted communications to the board but were not in attendance. Members of the high school wrestling team sat in the audience, and sophomore Elijah Foltz stood to speak for himself and his teammates.

“As a lot of your guys probably know, wrestling and sports in high school isn’t always just about getting good at the sport,” he said. “Sports teaches wrestlers lots of things, whether it’s discipline or time management or anything like that, that’s what wrestling teaches you, and the coaches do a great job of explaining to me that.”

Foltz also read quotes from his teammates, who said the coaches push them to be their best selves as athletes and as young men. A junior said, according to Foltz, that the coaches taught him to push past excuses and rely on himself.

This was common feedback from parents and alums, who said the coaches pushed and had clear expectations of their effort and behavior, but also went out of the way to support the athletes in their personal lives.

A female Palmyra wrestling alumna said, without going into detail, that an incident that happened three years ago, during her time on the team, has been brought up again. She said she received phone calls from high school principal Scott Richardson, superintendent Bernie Kepler, and a detective, with her parents receiving calls also. LebTown is not naming the alumna in accordance with our policy on reporting on crime and sexual assaults.

“An incident that happened my junior year of high school has been twisted and manipulated for the benefit of others,” she said. “While I am now a sophomore in college, it confused me why someone would only bring an issue like this to light if it really was a problem. If it was something that needed to be addressed, I feel like it should have been addressed when it happened.”

She said she thought Regets and Weidman were both great coaches during her athletic journey and served as trusted adults outside of sports, too.

When asked about sexual assault allegations mentioned throughout the meeting, Regets said there was “an allegation of not reporting properly.”

Robin Stine stood up to say that she was the bus driver on the Pittsburgh trip where the alleged assault took place. She said she asked the student what was going on and later took her into her own hotel room and talked to her until her parents came to pick her up. She said the student was asleep during the incident and didn’t know the extent of what happened.

“If there was something wrong, something had gone too far, why is it brought up now with a disgruntled parent whose child was acting inappropriately?” Stine said. “Does anybody else come up that anything is wrong, or do you just have one parent’s accusations only after their child was, I don’t know, corrected for inappropriate behavior?”

Regets said he was suspended on Dec. 26 “an hour after disciplining a wrestler, per the code of conduct, for his conduct.” He said Weidman was suspended on Jan. 3.

Regets did not address the board or the public, but Weidman did. He talked about the success of the team and how watching his athletes grow as individuals was even more rewarding. He addressed the strengths of individual athletes, mentioning each by name, before being cut off for exceeding the 5-minute limit.

At the end of his address, the crowd gave a standing ovation.

District administration is going through the investigation process, so no vote regarding the coaches has been brought before the board. Kepler said they’re working through the process as expeditiously as possible while also doing their due diligence.

“Ultimately, students, and in this case, student athletes, are paramount to us as a school district, a school administration,” he said. “Any concerns brought to us are taken absolutely seriously. We pride ourselves in conducting our work in an objective and thorough manner, and that’s where we’re at in the process. As concerns are brought forward, we look into those ultimately to ensure safety of our kids.”

Kepler wouldn’t comment on any conflict of interest on the board.

Regets said he was impressed by the “outpouring of support,” which he said was larger than he anticipated.

“I think the community spoke, and I fully believe that good will always prevail over evil, and the truth will come out,” he said. “I fully expect me and Coach Weidman to be back very soon.”

In other business, the board:

• Approved the Palmyra USA 250th resolution, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence on July 4, 2026, and encourages schools to incorporate educational programming, classroom activities, and community engagement opportunities related to the history, principles, and continued evolution of the country.
• Heard from several members of the public regarding previous board member concerns about “Alice: La Liste,” a book that a high school French teacher requested for future curriculum use. Board member Seth Steinmetz questioned whether they should approve a book that includes mentions of Islamophobia in France. Members of the public said they were not in support of a “book ban” and that students should be able to read about other cultures.

The Palmyra Area School Board will meet next at Lingle Avenue Elementary School on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. Meetings can also be attended via Zoom.