This is a story of two viewpoints that couldn’t be further apart, with the thin line of truth somewhere in the middle. On one side are staff, parents and children who believe that a beloved athletic director has been unfairly mischaracterized. However, there is the other side, the side in which parents and children believe that the same athletic director has created an atmosphere of division with reported statements of “go back where you came from.” The differences of opinion came to a head during Wednesday night’s PWCS school board meeting at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center in Manassas.

Since August 2019 allegations have been levied against Woodbridge Senior High School Athletic Director Jason Eldredge by parents for discriminatory comments by that he made to students at the school. They argue that no internal investigation has been conducted in accordance with Regulation 738-1, which states that there shall be no discrimination and that an internal investigation must be conducted within 10 days. Even more, the parents who were joined by the Prince William chapter of the NAACP in the suit, claim that the outside investigation has ties to the central office and has resulted in a climate of mistrust. As a result of the ongoing investigation, the parents state that due process has not been granted for them as it was when a similar situation occurred at Colgan High School. In addition, they state that the divisive culture created by Eldredge led to former Vikings football coach Gary Wortham leaving the program in November after a loss to Gar-Field. They stood in solidarity as each person was given three minutes to state their case before the school board, noting that not only has there been little action by the school board, but Principal Heather Abney has taken no action to rectify the situation.

However, there is another group that sees the situation differently. Outside the Leadership Center there were a group of young students and WSHS staff members who came out in support of Eldredge. Some of the coaches such as lacrosse coach Richard Creagh touted not only the Vikings’ athletic achievements under Eldredge’s leadership but also his ability to bring the coaches and administration together to improve the programs. When speaking with them, the young ladies mentioned how Eldredge meant so much to them and his guidance in helping both their athletic and academic careers. They spoke with such reverence for Eldredge and had unwavering support, with one student stating that the comments made by the dissenters “show a misunderstanding of the facts.” The staff spoke glowingly of how Eldredge has changed the culture from being a football-first athletic program to where each sport gets a seat at the table, and money for new uniforms.

Is this an issue of discriminatory and unethical practices that are going unheeded by officials? Or, is this a case of a school official being judged wrongly despite his accomplishments? There is one indisputable fact, and that this is an issue with no resolution in sight. Whenever the resolution arrives, will Woodbridge Senior High School ever be the same again?