Blanche Ely High School coach arrested for striking students
Key Points(5)
- An assistant football coach at Blanche Ely High School was arrested after allegedly striking several students during a weight room altercation tied to a social media post, officials said.
- Jamir Clarke, 29, faces four counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to Broward County jail records.
- Deputies said they responded to the school shortly after 4 p.m.
- Monday after receiving reports of a battery and took Clarke into custody.
- According to an arrest report, the confrontation began over a post one of the students made on social media.
An assistant football coach at Blanche Ely High School was arrested after allegedly striking several students during a weight room altercation tied to a social media post, officials said.
Jamir Clarke, 29, faces four counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to Broward County jail records. Deputies said they responded to the school shortly after 4 p.m. Monday after receiving reports of a battery and took Clarke into custody.
According to an arrest report, the confrontation began over a post one of the students made on social media. During football practice, Clarke allegedly hit four students and cracked a mirror during the scuffle. The report states that Clarke “struck in the face with a closed fist,” hit a second student in the chest, struck a third student in the face while that student tried to restrain him, and hit a fourth student in the stomach.
In a message to parents, Blanche Ely’s principal said Clarke will no longer serve as an assistant football coach at the school, which was his only role on the campus. Clarke also works as a campus monitor at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, a position from which he is also being reassigned.
“The employee in question is being reassigned as we review the matter for further action, up to and including termination,” Broward County Public Schools said in a statement. “We are deeply disturbed by this incident, as the safety and well-being of our students is our number one priority.”
Clarke was booked into the Broward County Jail and is expected to appear before a judge on Wednesday. Attorney information was not immediately available. The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.
