MONA SHORES, Mich. - Mona Shores' athletic director has resigned in the midst of a 10-day suspension for violating the district's Ethics Policy.
The district previously said that rumors about Ryan Portenga have been thoroughly investigated by their District Compliance Officers in consultation with a legal team. They also emphasized in a release that "at no time was student safety compromised during this violation, and there is no evidence that this violation occurred on school grounds."
In addition to being suspended, Portenga received a written reprimand and was supposed to be placed on a plan of improvement -- instead, he submitted the following resignation.
After roughly a decade of service as the Director of Athletics of Mona Shores Public Schools - and plenty of discussion with my family - please accept this letter as my official resignation.
I will always cherish my time as a Sailor - working with phenomenal student-athletes, coaches, teachers, administrators, and community members - and wish nothing but the best for everyone moving forward. The memories I have of our time together as teammates will always bring a smile to my face.
That said, I broke the trust expected of me - and will forever own the mistakes that I made. I let down my family, my colleagues, and all of Sailor Nation. Not only am I incredibly sorry, but I pray that my resignation brings peace to those affected by my actions.
Considering that nothing is ever achieved alone, I would like to thank all of those who have aided in our
department’s growth this past decade - specifically Jennifer Bustard, Sue McAvoy, and Mike Mack. I would also like to thank the trio of Walt Gawkowski, Shelly Marine, and Sandi Hirvo for all of their help behind the scenes - as well as our Board of Education for supporting all the change brought forward over the years. Lastly, I would like to thank the countless coaches - although too many to name - I have had the pleasure of serving alongside and wish them and all of our student-athletes well in the future.
Always and forever… #GoShores
Sincerely,
Ryan Portenga
The resignation is effective immediately.
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