High School Baseball Coach Resigns in Lieu of Termination After Sexually Harassing Students
After over two years on administrative leave, Travis Yeckring is no longer an employee of Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) at Santa Fe High School (SFHS).
In 2024, reports surfaced that Yeckring was engaging in sexual misconduct against students.
Three administrators, Timothy Wright, David Rendek and Michelle Faulk, were charged by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for allegedly not reporting suspicions that Yeckring was abusing children, but the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office (SAO8) declined to prosecute.
In January 2026, SAO8 released a lengthy explanation for why they dropped the cases. The statement also references Yeckring, who was never criminally charged for his actions. Citing a conversation with FDLE agents, SAO8 asserted that Yeckring had not committed a “provable criminal act.”
Earlier this year, GnvInfo confirmed that Rendek is still employed with Alachua County Public Schools and began working in the Department of Human Resources (HR). Faulk and Wright are retired.
On May 15, 2026, Assistant Superintendent Deborah Terry sent Yeckring a letter notifying him of the district’s intent to terminate him.
The letter states in part, “The investigation found credible evidence that you engaged in inappropriate, unprofessional, and boundary-crossing interactions with multiple female students over an extended period of time while employed as a Media Specialist and Head Baseball Coach at Santa Fe High School.”
Based on the letter, the district investigation affirmed that Yeckring engaged students in “personal and flirtatious conversations unrelated to educational purposes.” The investigation produced a number of findings to include students altering their behaviors to avoid contact with Yeckring.
“The District has concluded that your continued employment is not in the best interest of students, staff, or the District,” Terry told Yeckring. “Therefore, I am recommending to the Superintendent termination of your employment with the School Board of Alachua County, Florida.”
On August 5, 2026, represented by attorney Patrick J. Duggan, Yeckring requested an administrative hearing on his termination. A hearing was scheduled for late October.
Travis Yeckring speaks to a student journalist (YouTube)
The assistant for Administrative Law Judge G.W. Chisenhall told GnvInfo, “Due to the age of the witnesses and the nature of the allegations, the Judge is not inclined to allow members of the public to observe the hearing, unless the attorneys for both sides consent.”
On October 2, 2026, Yeckring submitted a notice of voluntary dismissal to his administrative hearing request. He subsequently resigned and the administrative hearing did not occur, ACPS spokeswoman Jackie Johnson told GnvInfo.
