By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Edsel Ford High School Counselor Ibrahim Baydoun will return to the sidelines and coach the varsity basketball team next year.
Baydoun has been a counselor at Edsel Ford for 22 years and a coach for the last 17. He was removed from the position two weeks ago. His removal caused some controversy in the community, with several residents voicing their opinions on Facebook. The reason for his dismissal was not made public.
Baydoun re-applied for the position and was one of three candidates who faced an Edsel Ford committee for the position on May 9. Two days later, Baydoun met with Edsel Ford Principal Scott Casebolt to discuss the position.
After the meeting, Baydoun was offered the job as basketball coach. On May 13 he addressed the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Trustees at their P-12 school board meeting about the process.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be coaching basketball again next year and hopefully for many years to come,” Baydoun said.
Baydoun said that he had had a “healthy dialogue” with Casebolt and that they agreed to move forward to continue to make the school a better place for students.
“In 22 years at Edsel Ford I’ve never missed a single day,” Baydoun said. “As a varsity basketball coach for the past 17 years I’ve never missed a single practice. My life has been devoted to children.”
The counselor was joined at the meeting with several supporters, one of whom addressed the board regarding the issue.
“I think that there were some very serious allegations that the school board and the administration would do well to consider and investigate at this point,” Dearborn resident Tarek Baydoun said. “I would ask that you do that so that there are no questions as to what happened here that go unanswered.”
Casebolt said that the meeting allowed both parties to address their concerns and that they will now move forward.
Board of Trustees President Pam Adams said the board supported the outcome and trusted that the matter was settled after the resolution was reached between Casebolt and Baydoun.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected])