PENDER COUNTY — Topsail High School is beginning its school year without its varsity men’s basketball coach, also a bus driver for the district, after he was fired Wednesday, Aug. 28.
READ MORE: Athletic director demoted along with coach dismissal in Topsail High wrestling investigation
Having served the district for over a decade, 53-year-old Melvin London was dismissed from both his positions in Pender County Schools. Now, a Change.org petition to reinstate London has garnered 405 signatures in less than 24 hours.
The termination came after London refused to drive a bus he said has frequent mechanical problems. London told Port City Daily Thursday that Superintendent Brad Breedlove fired him on a call Wednesday.
“‘Sir, I’m not not driving [bus] 251,” London said he told the superintendent. “He said, ‘Well, Mr. London, with that said, I’m going to have to terminate you, all duties of Pender County Schools, as well as coaching.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, wow. OK.’”
London has been driving bus 286 for the last three years, but last Thursday he found out he would be driving a new bus, 251, on his route. The bus, according to London, has had more mechanical problems than others, noting it was out of service a couple times last year.
London also took issue with the last-minute notification, as he said other drivers had been notified of their changes weeks prior.
Port City Daily asked Pender County Schools if the bus experienced more issues than others in the fleet and the reasoning for switching London’s bus; no response was received by press.
London said he never got an explanation for the switch-up; transportation staff did tell him the driver of 251 had a medical issue, but London said he didn’t understand why that necessitated the change.
Nevertheless, London said he would drive 251 for the first week of school if he could be moved back to 268 after Labor Day; staff would not agree.
“I never told them I wouldn’t drive; I just said I wasn’t going to drive that bus,” London said.
That landed him a call with Superintendent Breedlove, who agreed that transportation staff could have communicated better and that the district appreciated London’s work.
London is the second coach to be let go at Topsail High this year; head wrestling coach Pete Smith’s contract was not renewed in February.
The district released its report from its commissioned investigation into the program in June; it found Smith and some of his colleagues mishandled funds, broke several policies and athletic regulations, and oversaw a troubling environment that includes bullying and potential Title IX concerns. Athletic Director Chris McGee was demoted following the report.
London described his own termination as unjustified considering transportation staff, equally to blame in his view, are just getting a “talking to” and that he has an excellent track record. Working for the district since 2013, London has no infractions in his personnel file and he said all his evaluations have been great. He said he even returned to driving 10 days after knee surgery because his absence was a detriment to timely service.
The community also has glowing reviews of London, taking to the walls of Facebook and Change.org to express their disdain for the firing and their appreciation for London’s care for their children.
“I said [to Breedlove] I’m more than a basketball coach and a bus driver to the community,” London told Port City Daily Thursday.
“Mr. London has been a guiding light for families like mine,” the petition’s creator, Diana, wrote. “As a parent of a child with asthma, I saw his sensitivity and patience first-hand. He understood their needs, made them feel safe on their daily commute, and has been a significant part of their lives.”
Parent Melody Rouse said London is one of the most influential coaches in this community, noting he owns a business —a barber shop — next to her and ran the recreational football league her son played in.
“He poured his heart and soul into those football players,” Rouse said. “If a child wanted to play football, but couldn’t afford it, he did not let financial circumstances be a barrier. He is kind and has a selfless heart and I would imagine that this firing was not a fair decision on his behalf.”
Parent Ashley Sitorius said her son is trying out for the basketball team and has been attending the team’s workouts all summer. Her son, per Sitorius, described London as the best coach he’s had who wanted the best for students.
London said he met with the basketball team Wednesday night to announce his firing.
“It didn’t go too well, they were shocked,” London said.
The firing has also weakened an already strained bus schedule. Like many districts across the state, PCS is struggling to hire and keep bus drivers, resulting in double and triple routes that put more work on existing staff and delay student pick-ups and drop-offs.
Sitorius, whose daughter rode London’s bus, shared district communication on bus delays, including a lack of drivers for two buses — 251 and 270. Because of this, student pick-ups and drop-offs have been over an hour late all week due to the reliance on other buses to pick up the slack.
In an email response to Sitorius requesting he look further into the London firing, Breedlove said PCS has several new bus drivers in the process of getting their CDL licenses.
“In the meantime we will continue to look for more immediate solutions. I apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused your family and others as this is hard on our students and schools,” Breedlove wrote.
Sitorius also wrote the Pender County Board of Education requesting they investigate the matter further. London told Port City Daily he would consider returning to bus driving if an agreement was reached.
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