BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. — The firing of the Baldwin Braves' football coach led to a "disruptive demonstration" that increased law enforcement presence on campus Thursday, according to a press release from the Baldwin County School District.
On Thursday, the school announced that it was parting ways with the school's head football coach Jesse Hicks.
"The school administration has decided to go in a different direction with the football program for the next school year," the district wrote. "We thank Coach Jesse Hicks for his year of service to Baldwin High School Athletic program and look forward to his continued tenure as a teacher with the Baldwin County School District."
However, Hicks firing as head coach led to outrage among some students.
"Yesterday afternoon, several students were involved in a disruptive demonstration in the cafeteria. During this time no students or staff were injured," the school said. "Baldwin County Sheriff's Deputies and School Resource Officers were on hand and moved students out of the cafeteria."
From the news release and phone calls with the Baldwin County School District, it is unclear what a "disruptive demonstration" means.
Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Cpt. Lee Williamson said that there was an increased law enforcement presence on campus Thursday, but he said that there will not be a report made about the demonstration because it did not rise to that level.
That being said, the district emphasized that the demonstration was out of line.
"We asked parents to speak with their students to let them know that disruption of the normal school day can not be tolerated," the district wrote.
The district says that they will remain focused on their student's well-being on campus.
"The safety and security of our students and staff are of the utmost importance, and we will always strive to provide the best protection possible," the district said.
Hicks coached at Baldwin from 2002-2009 before heading to Dougherty for two years. He spent five years at Central High School in Macon before returning to Baldwin County in 2017. He was 40-36 in his second stint with the Braves.
In 2018, the Braves won the region under Hicks and reached the quarterfinals in the playoffs. But since then they have not made it past the second round including the last three seasons which ended with first-round exits.
Hicks has coached various players who have gone on to play at the next level including Javon Bullard, the defensive MVP of both the Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff National Championship last season with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Despite Hicks being fired as head coach, the district's statement does emphasize that Hicks is still being retained as a teacher for the school district.