The Ayala football community stands united in asking the district to reinstate Coach Smith, who was wrongfully removed from his position as head football coach despite his clear commitment to the program and the players. 
Coach Smith applied for the position in January after the job was posted internally and left unfilled. Once it was opened externally to walk-on coaches, he went through the process, was offered the job in February, and accepted. He was never told this job would be temporary. In fact, they put in the job description “Completion of season” He did everything that was asked of him to officially become head coach so why is he now being removed, just four months before the season, and the same week of spring ball beginning?   
This decision does not reflect the needs of the program, the team, or the truth of the situation. The rule being cited which is the Rialto Rule, which limits walk-on coaching positions is inconsistently applied. Other coaches at Ayala who are not credentialed teachers are still allowed to coach. So why was Coach Smith targeted? This team is already bleeding. We’ve had players transfer, morale drop, and momentum lost. Coach Smith was one of the only stable, committed forces keeping this team together. Removing him now is not only unfair, it’s damaging. 
We believe the district should reconsider the decision to remove Coach Smith and challenge the Rialto Rule if it is no longer serving the best interest of our students and programs. If a rule is harming students and holding programs back more than helping them, it needs to be addressed and not blindly enforced. Transparency is needed. Coach Smith has proven his loyalty, leadership, and love for Ayala football. Taking him away now only sets the program further back.