UPDATED: Monday, August 1, 12:45 p.m. (Original post below)
D.C. Public Schools officials are saying that a “technical error” caused them to email applicants for school system’s open athletic director position and say it had been filled.
Lisa Ruda, chief of staff, confirmed that it was just a glitch. “Apologies for any confusion or inconvenience, but the position is still open and interested candidates should apply,” she said in an email.
Officials are “actively reviewing applicants,” according to an email sent to candidates:
The Director of Athletics position is still open and we are actively reviewing applications. You will receive further communication regarding your application in the next 5-7 days. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by our technical error.
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Just five days after starting a search for the next athletic director, D.C. Public Schools is telling applicants the position has been filled, The Washington Examiner has learned.
“The District of Columbia Public Schools would like to thank you for taking the time to apply […] Unfortunately, the position is no longer available,” school officials wrote in an email to an applicant for the top sports job.
On Wednesday, DCPS sent out a press release announcing the search for Marcus Ellis’s replacement. Ellis, who never saw eye to eye with Henderson, resigned in July.
Henderson named former Eliot-Hine Middle School Principal Willie Jackson to the interim post, but “Chancellor Kaya Henderson encourages all qualified candidates to apply and ensures DCPS will have an open and competitive process to select its next Athletic Director,” a spokesman wrote in the release.
The job is still listed as open on the school system’s website.
We have reached out to DCPS for comment and will update as soon as they reply.
