Leo Castro submitted his letter of resignation as athletic director at Palisades High last Thursday morning, stating “the decision has not been easy for me or my family but I feel it is the appropriate one at this time.” Castro took over for outgoing A.D. Tina Tamura in the summer of 2003 and was hired as the head varsity football coach prior to the start of the 2004 season. The Dolphins went 1-9 in his first year and have lost the first two games this season. “There is much talk that I favor football over all of the other sports at Palisades,” Castro said. “But the truth is that I have not given enough time to coaching football and this has placed a greater burden on my [coaching] staff.” Castro claimed full responsibility for not finding a coach for the girls’ varsity volleyball team sooner (an off-campus coach was finally hired three days before the team’s first match), but said the school needs to establish a better and consistent procedure for hiring new coaches for its sports programs. Castro said he was not pressured to resign by anyone in the administration–it was strictly his decision. “An athletic director who does not have the support of the entire school and community should not continue in that position,” Castro said. “I will try to assist the next A.D. to insure that our athletes and teams are not penalized by improper documentation or lack of knowledge.” Castro said he expects to continue as Palisades’ head football coach as long as he can maintain the “high standards I have set for myself, my athletes and my fellow coaches.” Palisades’ Board of Directors, a panel consisting of teachers, parents, community members and students, met Tuesday night in the school library to decide whether or not to accept Castro’s resignation.
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