Monroe Schools Athletic Director Placed on Administrative Leave

Action comes after AD appeared on a podcast discussing Title IX investigation

UPDATE SUNDAY DEC 14 7:30 p.m.

I have learned Monroe Schools Athletic Director Chet Hesson has been placed on administrative leave. The reason he has been placed on leave has not been released.

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MONROE COUNTY, Mich. A federal Title IX complaint involving a high school girls volleyball match in Monroe County has drawn renewed attention after Monroe Public Schools confirmed it would not provide additional public comment during an active investigation, while the district’s athletic director appeared on a podcast discussing the situation.

The complaint was filed December 5 with the U.S. Department of Education by Monroe County resident Sean Lechner. It raises concerns about Title IX compliance related to a Skyline High School athlete who competed in girls volleyball matches against Monroe High School earlier this fall.

Click here to read my previous story.

Lechner alleges that Ann Arbor Public Schools and Monroe Public Schools did not follow required procedures and did not adequately communicate with parents or opposing teams before the matches took place.

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Monroe Public Schools previously stated it would not comment further while an independent investigation is underway. Since then, Monroe High School Athletic Director Chet Hesson appeared on the podcast Uncloseted Media, where he discussed the controversy and its impact. The podcast’s creator has said that a short clip currently circulating online does not represent the full interview and that the complete episode is scheduled to be released Tuesday.

In the podcast clip, Hesson spoke about the personal impact the situation has had on the student involved.

“My heart goes out to them, whether they’re trans or not,” Hesson said. “Just having that much attention and discussion focused on you is a lot for a teenager to handle.”

He also said he believes adults should consider how public debates can affect students.

“It makes me feel really sick to think about how much pressure this can put on someone’s life,” Hesson said.

Those remarks followed an official written statement from Monroe Public Schools confirming that an investigation is ongoing and that the district would not provide additional comment during that process.

The full statement from Monroe Public Schools reads:

According to the complaint, the first match took place September 9 at Monroe High School. Lechner said he learned shortly before the match that a Skyline athlete on the roster was biologically male.

“Minutes before the match, people asked if I was aware of the situation, and I was not,” Lechner said. “That was the first time I had heard anything about it.”

The complaint also alleges that both teams used the same locker room prior to the match. A second match involving the same athlete took place October 25 at Skyline High School. Locker rooms were not shared during that event.

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Lechner’s filing further alleges that Monroe High School officials had advance knowledge of the athlete’s participation, which he says conflicts with written statements from the district. He said he attempted to ask questions following the match but did not receive clear answers.

“I was just trying to understand what was known ahead of time,” Lechner said.

The complaint also raises concerns about competitive fairness and student privacy and requests that federal investigators review district procedures, communication practices, and compliance with Michigan High School Athletic Association rules.

Lechner said he believes the issue should be handled carefully and without political framing.

“This should be about making sure students are protected and that schools are following clear processes,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Education has confirmed receipt of the complaint, according to Lechner. Monroe Public Schools has confirmed that a third party investigator has been hired. No findings have been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.