Gallup softball coach fired in wake of senior prank

WINDOW ROCK

The fallout of the Gallup High senior prank now involves the coaching staff of the Lady Bengal softball team.

On Tuesday, the Gallup-McKinley County Schools served head coach Rayfert Spencer with a termination letter for violating the district’s safekeeping of equipment and supplies.

Spencer said his office keys were allegedly used to open the school in the early morning of April 1 as dozens of students entered the high school and used streamers, toilet paper, and glitter in what the student described as a senior prank.

“I was terminated because I mishandled my keys, and it was used for that purpose,” Spencer said of his dismissal.

Crystal Pablo, who served as Spencer’s top assistant, is now coaching the Gallup team.

Attempts to reach Gallup High principal Tammy Hall for comments were unsuccessful on Wednesday morning.

Spencer said the administrators at Gallup High issued him a set of keys and it is shared among four coaches.

The keys, he said, open the gated fence at the high school and the restrooms, concession stand, and storage area at the softball field.

He was also issued a key for the high school since he has an office inside and that key is used during non-school hours.

Spencer said he had previously asked for additional keys, but the administration told him they couldn’t issue any more than what was allotted.

“Since I don’t work for the school, at times, I would leave the keys in certain places for the coaches to open the gate and let the girls in for practice,” Spencer said.

On April 1, he left his keys during an away game at Artesia so that the non-varsity team could use it to get equipment.

“I didn’t know anything about them using my keys to get into the school,” Spencer said of the prank incident involving dozens of students’ suspensions.

An April 7 press release from GMCS stated that the district is disappointed by several students’ illegal, damaging and disrespectful behavior in the early morning of April 1.

“Breaking and entering, vandalism, and destruction of school property is illegal and is considered criminal,” the release said.

“The investigation, including security camera video footage, of this incident is ongoing,” the release said. “The district has identified and submitted the names of several students who are involved in this illegal incident to Gallup Police Department.

“As the investigation is ongoing at this time, additional individuals may be identified,” the release said.

Spencer said he has one softball player that was allegedly involved in the senior prank, and she is currently being disciplined.

“They suspended her until further notice of their investigation,” Spencer said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Spencer said he met with a district investigator in a private meeting to discuss the whereabouts of his keys on April 1.

“I just let him where the keys were at,” he said. “And I let him know that I didn’t know there was going to be a senior prank before it happened.”

Later that afternoon, he was terminated in a meeting with Hall for violating the code of conduct in the GMCS Athletic and Activities Handbook.

“The first thing she gave me was a letter for violating that policy, which states ‘be accountable for all equipment and supplies in their charge,’” Spencer said.

And although he won’t be on the sidelines, Spencer said the program is in good hands with Pablo taking over as Gallup is currently ranked No. 2 behind defending state champs Artesia in the latest MaxPreps poll in Class 4A.

“Knowing my coaching staff and just the players that I’ve been coaching since they were 10, I know they’ll be successful,” he said, while adding that for the past few seasons, he’s been very quiet while at the third-base coaching box during games.

“It’s fun to watch them because they know my system,” he said. “They know what I want and what needs to be done. It’s fun watching them now because I’m not really coaching them because they know my system. I know they’ll be successful, not just this year but more years to come.”

Gallup owns an 11-7 overall record and a 2-0 mark in District 1-4A play heading into Thursday’s district game with Bloomfield.

The Bengals are looking to defend its district crown from one year ago in the six-team district. In addition, the Gallup squad is in search of one of the top seeds in next month’s Class 4A state tournament.

“I think Crystal is going to do great with them,” Spencer said. “Over the years, I’ve been putting her on the spot in game situations, and I was kind of getting her ready, and if she went on her own, she would keep the torch going, so I have full confidence in her coaching.”

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