The Claysburg-Kimmel School Board held a special meeting last week to accept the resignation of social studies teacher and boy’s basketball and baseball coach, Jay Anthony Garver.
He had been an assistant football coach and teacher in the Tyrone Area School District before becoming a teacher and coach at Claysburg-Kimmel where he had previously graduated. Garver was hired by the district in the fall of 1993.
He had been suspended earlier this month after allegations of a relationship between Garver and a female student.
“We know there has been some contact between the teacher and a minor,” said Blair County District Attorney, Dave Gorman. “Trooper Kip Brown from the Pennsylvania State Police is investigating that case and I’ve had a number of conversations with him concerning that case and the investigation is still ongoing at this time.”
Gorman explained no actual charges have been filed in the case but he did confirm there was a search warrant issued regarding the use of computers. He also confirmed Garver had previously been a teacher in the Tyrone School District while another source confirmed Garver had also been an assistant football coach.
“We accepted his resignation as a teacher and head varsity basketball coach and head varsity baseball coach,” said James O’Harrow, superintendent at Claysburg-Kimmel.
O’Harrow confirmed Garver had been suspended on May 4 as a result of a state police investigation.
“The investigation is in the hands of the state police and that’s all I really know at this point,” said O’Harrow.
The board voted 7 to 0 to accept Garver’s resignation. Two members did not attend including Barbara Garver and Dennis Cowher.
O’Harrow confirmed Barbara Garver is the mother of Mr. Garver. Cowher was helping with the Claysburg-Kimmel baseball team which had a playoff game which conflicted with the school board meeting.
The next regular school board meeting was scheduled for early June but it was decided to hold a special meeting to deal with Garver’s resignation, according to O’Harrow.
“Priority number one is to hire a social studies teacher,” said O’Harrow. “Ancillary to that, we are going to have a basketball position and then a baseball position.
“We are going to want to be filling those too,” explained O’Harrow. “We have a little bit of time to fill those because the practice for basketball doesn’t begin until November. We are going to be expedient in filling those, but the social studies position is the most important right now.
“We’ll be advertising that; we’ll be conducting interviews and making recommendations this summer,” said O’Harrow.
