Perkins superintendent says Santoro showed remorse over bus incident

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins superintendent Lonny Rivera expects Jalen Santoro to return as head football coach this summer with a complete understanding of what is expected of one of the school district's high-profile employees. Santoro and Perkins principal Jeff Harbal will serve five-day suspensions without pay for their roles in an incident Nov. 29 when Santoro directed a charter bus carrying his football team to divert into Bellevue neighborhoods. The bus rolled past the homes of recently retired Bellevue football coach Ed Nasonti and athletic director Cody Cramer and some on the bus shouted expletives. Rivera said he heard about the incident that weekend on social media and launched an investigation. He said Santoro and Harbal were honest when they were questioned about the incident, which culminated with the suspensions being approved at a school board meeting two weeks ago. "If I didn't see a level of remorse with my staff, there probably would be a different outcome," Rivera said during a recent interview with the Register. "They were very honest with me. I didn't have to dig for anything. They didn't make any excuses and that means a lot. "Culture is everything to me. We are going to make sure that all my employees are held to a very high standard." Santoro and Harbal signed their suspension agreements in separate meetings on December 20 with Rivera, assistant superintendent Rena McClellan and athletic director Brad Watson. Rivera said he is satisfied with the punishment, which was meted out 40 days after the incident. He said he wanted to move quickly but had to go through proper channels. "We were working with legal counsel and with the board," Rivera said. "We talked about what would be the appropriate consequence. It had to be immediate. Since the season was over we wanted it to be dealt with now. Financially, five days for anybody in this economy is not easy." Rivera said there were no previous mentions of misconduct in the personnel files of Santoro or Harbal, who was a defensive coordinator for the football team. School board member Ted Kastor said the magnitude of the incident was not lost on Santoro, who did not return several phone calls seeking comment. "It took a while for the totality of the event to sink in," Kastor said. "Obviously, when the event happened he did not consider the possible consequences. Once he did, he was very remorseful and I believe it'll be a valuable learning experience for him. "I think it was a fair consequence for the event that took place. I compliment Dr. Rivera with working through that." Rivera, who started his job at Perkins last August, weighed plenty of opinions before recommending the suspensions. "Part of our agreement is that nothing like this can ever happen again — ever," Rivera said. "That was very clear." Santoro has a 48-15 record in five years as Perkins' coach — including a 36-5 mark over the last three years. The Pirates defeated two-time defending state champion Glenville in Clyde the night of the incident. The Pirates lost eight days later in the Division IV state championship game, falling 37-36 to Indian Valley. The bus incident was a popular topic at Perkins in the lead-up to the state title game. Many expressed disappointment over Santoro's actions while others backed the coach. "What I did hear a lot from parents and people was to say how much mentoring and other things that he's done for them. That can't be discounted," Rivera said. "He's a young guy, has a lot of talent. But the emotions and everything else got out of hand. "The plan is that he would come back. That's why we wanted to do discipline now and get some clear parameters and guidelines for what we expect going forward." Rivera said he did not direct Harbal and Santoro to avoid public comment on the incident. "We didn't tell him not to (talk to the media), but we try to keep our messaging through either the superintendent or our media sources," Rivera said. Santoro is a Bellevue graduate who led the Redmen to the 2012 state championship game as a star quarterback. He was an assistant coach under Nasonti before taking the Perkins job in 2020. The two sides have sniped at each other since the split. Rivera said that acrimony played a role in Santoro's decision to divert the team bus. The route home from Clyde took the Pirates through Bellevue. The suspension agreements noted that during the incident the charter bus driver "honked the horn repeatedly while unidentified individuals on the bus shouted targeted and negative connotations toward the Bellevue community members." "It was a spur of the moment. There was more to the story than that event; there were other things," Rivera said. "That's why Jalen had the idea, thought it would be funny that they'd do that." Santoro and Harbal were the only Perkins staff members on the bus who were disciplined. Santoro is the Perkins district youth athletics and activities liaison. As part of the agreement, Santoro must complete a National Federation of State High School Associations professionalism course. Harbal's suspension agreement noted that he "condoned the actions of the individuals engaged in this misconduct." "With Jeff being in the position he's in, he should've intervened and he didn't," Rivera said. "That's why I held both of them very accountable for what they did. That was a decision the others didn't make." Rivera says he wants to repair the fractured relationship with Bellevue. "I talked with their superintendent, and a couple of their board members reached out to our board members. They were all on the same page," Rivera said. "If it presents itself, and I think it will, a core group of us will get with a core group of them and say what can we do? We're brothers and sisters, really. A lot of our families have kids and relatives in each of the schools and we don't want this to happen ever again." As part of his agreement, Harbal, who makes about $117,400 a year, no longer will coach football. Santoro, who like most high school coaches works under a one-year supplemental contract, could get board approval for the 2025 season at an upcoming meeting. Last year, he got board approval to coach in 2024 at the July meeting. Santoro made $7,800 to coach football last year. Rivera, who said "trust has been violated" because of the incident, said the reputation of his school and sports programs is something that will be a priority moving forward. "I want kids to be competitors on the field. I'm a competitor; I was a Division I wrestler," Rivera said. "One thing my dad always taught me was, 'Son, win or lose you shake the hand. Don't throw the head gear.' If I did there was some trouble I'd have with him. "I was fierce on the mat. Off, I was a gentleman. I want our boys and girls to be that way. It's just the standard that needs to be set. The vast majority of our kids do a great job, but this is something that has my attention." Rivera said he heard from all sides of the issue in the aftermath of the bus incident. In the end, he's willing to give Santoro a second chance. "The honesty of what happened and being remorseful made a big difference for me, and I'm always about giving people chances to prove themselves," he said. "I'm convinced we are not going to have these things happen anymore. But I made it very clear: If we have anything that happens, we're parting ways."