Baker: Over-age students won’t play athletics

The Collier County School District no longer will allow students to participate in athletics without verifying their age, Superintendent Ray Baker announced this morning.

He said the district will be increasing efforts to ensure that each student athlete is eligible to play athletics. The maximum age limit for participation in high school sports is 19 years, 9 months.

“Students will not play athletics in Collier County until we are able to verify their age,” he said during a news conference this morning at the district’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center. “This is not an isolated problem in Collier County. This is a statewide issue.”

Baker said the district is reviewing how to verify birthdates, adding that most student records come from previous schools, even in cases where students are from other counties.

Baker also announced that the district will not appeal recent penalties handed down by the Florida High School Athletic Association for using over-age athletes. He said Immokalee will accept the fines, the probation periods for both the soccer and football team and the loss of three district championship trophies.

Baker said Immokalee High principal Manny Touron will remain in his post as principal. He said there will be some form of punishment other than a written reprimand, but didn’t discuss the details.

Touron asked for support from the school and community.

“You have supported me in the past and I hope you can find it within your soul to support Manny and this decision,” he said.

The sanctions against Immokalee include paying a $3,000 fine -- $1,000 for each of the original students discovered -- and the cost of the FHSAA's investigation. The Immokalee soccer team received a two-year probation and cannot participate in the post season. The soccer team also has to forfeit its two district championships from the past two seasons.

The football team received one-year probation and must relinquish its 2005 District Championship. The school must also forfeit two district soccer titles and one district football title.

Blandel Jean, 30, Josh Jean-Mary, 23, and Senil Ulysse, 20, were the original three athletes uncovered. On Thursday, documents obtained by the Daily News indicated two more athletes, 21-year-old Clotaire Joseph and 20-year-old Fredo Selbonne, were over-age.