First published in the Aug. 11 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
In an effort to allay concerns of inquiring families, the La Cañada Unified School District cut ties with real estate mogul Mike Kobeissi after a jury found that he sexually abused his cousins when they were children.
Superintendent Wendy Sinnette told the Outlook Valley Sun that several people had contacted the district regarding a social media post in which the La Cañada High School soccer team thanked Kobeissi for his donation to the program with a banner that included the website to his multimillion-dollar real estate company.
The post, which was shared on Kobeissi’s Instagram page, referred to the La Cañada Flintridge businessman as a coach, but Sinnette assured stakeholders that he was not a coach and did not have any contact with the student-athletes.
“I think the reference [to him as a coach] was in name only as a monetary sponsor,” Sinnette said over the phone Wednesday. “He didn’t actively coach our students at any point, nor was he in any one-on-one [interaction] with any students or small student groups. He did have a conversation during practice with coach Bruno Costa, but no student contact.”
Sinnette said that though she was thankful for Kobeissi’s monetary contribution, in light of the recent verdict from the Burbank Superior Court, the training uniforms purchased from the donation will no longer be worn by the soccer players.
An official statement addressing the matter will be read by Sinnette at a school board meeting Friday that is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m.
