Santa Fe High School Baseball Coach Placed on Administrative Leave
Updated March 22: The FDLE confirmed yesterday that they are looking into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Travis Yeckring, the baseball coach and library media specialist at Santa Fe High School (SFHS), has been placed on administrative leave amidst an ongoing investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The principal at SFHS, Dr. Timothy Wright, confirmed in a letter to parents on Tuesday that the FDLE was present at the school and that SFHS is cooperating with the investigation. He went on to say that the school district elected to place Yeckring on administrative leave while they “conduct a separate investigation.”
“There are many rumors about the situation,” Wright wrote to parents, acknowledging that many affected parties have questions but that SFHS cannot provide any answers at the given time.
The letter is pictured as follows:
Dear Santa Fe Parents,
As I’m sure most of you already know, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was on the Santa Fe High campus yesterday as part of an ongoing investigation. Although I can’t share any additional information, I can assure you that the school and the District are cooperating fully with the investigation.
You may have also heard that Mr. Travis Yeckring, the school’s media specialist and head coach of the baseball team, has been placed on administrative leave by the district while it conducts a separate investigation. In the meantime, coaching duties will be taken over by Chris Malphurs and Patrick Treese.
Obviously, there are a lot of rumors about this situation, and I know that many of you and other people in the school community have questions. Unfortunately, the school can’t provide anymore information at this time.
If and when we have more information we can share, we will certainly do so. In the meantime, please be assured that the safety and well-being of Santa Fe High’s students continues to be my number one priority.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school.
Sincerely,
Dr. Timothy Wright
Principal
Santa Fe High School
This comes after a school sponsor, Thompaon's Sod Inc., sent a letter to the school demanding all forms of advertising be removed from school property. Their attorney, Bobbi J. Frank, wrote the letter on their behalf, which stated, “The Thompson’s are aware that the FDLE is conducting an open, active criminal investigation into numerous individuals, including employees and affiliates of Santa Fe High School, for a multitude of felonious acts; concerningly, the Thompsons have discovered that most of the crimes being investigated by the FDLE are crimes against children.”
Santa Fe High School has had previous problems with teachers violating their students. In 2020, a Santa Fe High School teacher, Christopher Salamone, was arrested and found guilty on six counts of sexual battery against a 16- or 17-year-old. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 25 years of probation.
A WRUF article written last year states Yeckring has coached the Santa Fe High School Raiders baseball team since 2020.
According to Yeckring's LinkedIn, he previously worked as an assistant baseball coach at Santa Fe College from Aug 2013 through Oct 2017 before becoming an event coordinator at the Florida Sport Foundation.
