South Country School Chief Retiring

After a drawn out predicament involving a grade-changing scandal, Joe Cipp Jr. has resigned as school chief of the South Country School District, which includes East Patchogue in its coverage area.

Cipp, the winningest football coach in Suffolk County history, who became the first gridiron coach at Bellport High School in 1976 and graduated from Sachem in 1966, was allegedly involved in a scandal involving former Clippers player Ryan Sloan, who is now playing at Syracuse.

On March 21, the South Country Board of Education voted 5-3 to accept Cipp’s resignation.

"As we move into critical months for testing with our students, I feel as a leader, I must take the appropriate action to put the focus back on our students and academics,” he said in a statement, according to Newsday.

Former Bellport High School Principal Kevin O’Connell, who was fired last year, brought the accusations to light with a vengeance, saying that Cipp pressured district employees to change Sloan’s grades so he could qualify for a scholarship to play with the Orange. Cipp denied the accusations repeatedly.

At Bellport, Cipp’s teams won 10 Suffolk County titles, five Long Island crowns, and the field is named in his honor.