Thursday, October 1, 2026
Confusion seems to rule in the Freeport High School football program, at least for many parents looking for answers — and, as is becoming increasingly familiar to the school community, none are forthcoming.
There is a public outcry over a personnel matter: Varsity football head coach and physical education teacher Jimmy Jones has been placed on leave as part of an investigation of an incident that took place in early June, allegedly involving the throwing of an object at the coach and his handling of the situation.
Jones has taught and coached in the district for over 20 years, and is considered by many students and football players past and present, as well as their families, an icon in Freeport — a man who has consistent displayed professionalism and character, as well as evident care for students and players.
Many Freeport parents were under the impression that the matter had been investigated and resolved.
But the Board of Education disputes that, and Trustee Sonia Dixon stated on Aug. 13 that the matter was never formally closed.
The board has not offered details about the investigation or why Jones was allegedly placed on leave, citing a policy that prohibits them from discussing personnel matters.
At the Board of Education’s Committee Meetings on Aug. 13, however, scores of parents shuffled into a Caroline G. Atkinson School classroom where personnel issues were to be discussed by the board. Many were irate to learn that a committee meeting differs from a regular school board meeting in that there are no public comments.
But that didn’t stop parents from voicing — sometimes even shouting — their displeasure with Jones having been put on leave.
One attendee who made sure that her voice was heard was Kim Fitzsimmons, a mother of three former Freeport students, two of whom played football under Jones.
“This is a student that has multiple incidents,” Fitzsimmons said of the student who was involved in the alleged dispute with Jones.
“He has been teaching in this district for that long and has been a mentor for so many students,” she added of Jones. “We have some families that maybe struggle, he’s been an ear for these students to listen to. He’s been a ship that has steered their character and always shown them the right way to handle things.
“I’ve seen kids get angry, I’ve seen them get in his face, and he has never handled himself inappropriately,” Fitzsimmons said. “So he was being attacked, I’m sure, he probably de-escalated the situation.”
“I think you can see by the amount of teachers that came here this evening to stand behind him, the amount of families that came to stand behind him,” she added. “It’s not in his character, and obviously something’s going on.”
Her son Robert Fitzsimmons, a 2018 graduate of Freeport High who also came to the meeting, agreed, saying that the student in question, a member of the football team, wanted to fight Jones after throwing his Chromebook at him, and was “a troublemaker.”
“We fully stand behind our colleague Jimmy Jones,” Freeport Teacher Association President Patricia Langan told the Herald.
At a special board meeting on Monday at the district Administrative Building, school board trustees and Interim Superintendent Alice Kane immediately went into executive session, with all other attendees asked to leave the room. When they were allowed back in, the meeting was immediately moved to be ended.
The attendees protested, several saying that had taken time off from work to be there. They were told that a special meeting, unlike a regular board meeting, was not required to allow public comment.
Though it had formally ended, the meeting continued for roughly another hour, with parents criticizing board members for what they claimed was a lack of transparency. Both trustees and attendees decried social media mud-slinging, with a number of board members and attendees stating that they had been slandered online.
Asked during meeting why the board was not allowing public comment, Coward said, “we didn’t have to do that.”
At press time, Jones’s status remained unexplained. When reached by the Herald, Jones stated that he could not comment on the matter.
