Steve Belles, the former Hamilton (Chandler, Arizona) High School football coach who was removed from coaching after a hazing scandal that led to sex-assault and other charges against students in 2017, has been recommended for hire as a teacher at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in north Phoenix.
Belles taught and coached at a Catholic high school in Utah last season, but his new position would not involve any coaching duties, according to the district.
Tracy Nelson, a spokeswoman from the Deer Valley Unified School District, confirmed that Belles has been recommended for hire. Deer Valley’s school board must still approve his hire at its next board meeting on Aug. 13.
Belles, reached over text message, declined to comment.
Chandler Unified district officials removed Belles as Hamilton’s head football coach in 2017, shortly after three football players were charged as the result of a hazing investigation. He was reassigned to other duties and later resigned.
Deer Valley’s school year begins on Aug. 7.
Arizona schools are persistently short of teachers around this time. At the start of the 2018 school year, nearly 23% of teaching positions remained vacant several weeks into the school year, according to a survey by Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association.
