A California high school football coach was arrested Friday after students found a cellphone allegedly recording them as they changed in a campus locker room, police said.
The cellphone belonged to Jeffrey Pribble, a 48-year-old teacher at Tracy High School, east of San Francisco, the Tracy Police Department said Saturday.
School website and social media accounts identify Pribble as the varsity football head coach and a member of the physical education program.
Pribble had served as head coach for five years and had 22 years of experience as an educator in the district, according to his Facebook page.
FILE — People walk into Tracy High School in Tracy, California, where football coach Jeffrey Pribble was arrested Friday. (Google Maps)
Students discovered the phone recording in the locker room Thursday, officials said.
They stopped the recording, deleted the video and handed the device to a teacher.
Later that evening, a concerned parent contacted Tracy police patrol officers. School resource officers and detectives then began investigating.
Investigators determined the next day that the cellphone belonged to Pribble, who was arrested Friday.
The Tracy Unified School District placed Pribble on leave while separate criminal and district investigations proceed, officials said.
Tracy High Principal Jon Waggle confirmed an employee’s arrest in an email to parents, according to the Pleasanton Weekly.
FILE — Jeffrey Pribble served as Tracy High School’s varsity football coach for five years and worked in the district for 22 years, according to his Facebook page. (Google Maps)
The school did not identify the teacher or the specific allegations but noted that the district was fully cooperating with police.
“We understand that this news may raise serious concerns in the District community. The District too is concerned about the well-being of its students and staff and is committed to holding its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards,” Waggle wrote.
“Tracy High School and all our Tracy Unified schools are proud of being safe schools. The cooperation between students, parents and staff members keeps our schools safe and is important and appreciated. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.”
Tracy Police Chief Sekou Millington added that the safety and privacy of the city’s students remain among the department’s top priorities.
“Our children deserve to feel safe at school and in every space where they should be able to learn, grow, and simply be kids,” Millington said.
FILE — The Tracy Unified School District said Pribble will remain on leave while authorities continue investigating. (iStock)
“Protecting the safety, privacy, and well-being of our students is a responsibility we take seriously. We are grateful to the students who brought this incident to the attention of adults and to the officers and detectives who acted quickly to investigate.”
News Outlet reached out to Tracy High School for more information.
