- November 19, 2024
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Benjamin Antwan Brown has been reinstated as a baseball coach and substitute teacher at Atlantic High, effective Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Brown was brought back to the school at the request of Atlantic High Principal Stephen Hinson, according to Volusia County Schools Community Information Services Director Nancy Wait.
"I was given the opportunity from the district to reinstate Mr. Brown as a coach and substitute teacher," Hinson wrote in an email. "He was held in very high regard by the students and parents, which were key factors."
Brown had been disqualified from substitute teaching after a standards investigation by the school district.
Wait previously wrote in an email that "substitutes are not considered employees" and because Brown was not an employee, he could not be fired. Instead, he had "been disqualified from substituting for Volusia, which also impacted his coaching status," she wrote.
Brown's last day at the high school was Thursday, Aug. 24. His departure had led to backlash from the community, including a demonstration outside the school on Thursday, Aug. 31.
One of the people at the demonstration was Mike Navarra, whose son attends Atlantic High.
"We're out here to support Coach Brown," Navarra told the Port Orange Observer. "I've know him for several years. He's someone who has a lot of integrity. He's a leader to these kids. Coach Brown has been a leader and a mentor, not just on the baseball field."
