The Fort Myers High School administration and baseball program did not intentionally discriminate against players based on race, according to findings of a Title VI investigation released on Friday.

The investigation was launched after a series of incidents throughout the 2023 baseball season that saw two coaches removed and the season end prematurely.

Other incidents pertaining to the team, including allegations that former head coach Kyle Burchfield had shoving incidents with players, are subject to further investigations, some confidential due to the federal student privacy law known as FERPA.

Charles Bradley, the Director of Positive Prevention with Lee County School District, oversaw the investigation and concluded that the "bias based on race, color and/or national origin were largely perceptual," attributing disparate treatment among players to other divisions within the team.

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On March 8, Fort Myers athletic director Steve Cato informed team parents that the Title VI investigation had been opened. That came after assistant coach Alex Carcioppolo posted a message on the team group chat that read, "Happy Valentine's Day," followed by a racial slur on Feb. 14. He was fired the next day.

Carcioppolo stated the message, deleted within seconds but viewed by many players and coaches, was mistakenly sent to the group chat, instead intended for a group of friends from the Marine Corps, according to public records obtained by The News-Press.

A team meeting was held the following day, giving players an opportunity to speak about prior and ongoing use of racial slurs, discrimination based on race, favoritism and unprofessional behavior by the staff. About half of the team reported hearing racial slurs used by teammates, according to the findings.

Further meetings were held with players and parents, but, during this time, several divides emerged and escalated, including players who play travel ball and who don't as well as involvement in the Green Wave Baseball Alumni Club. The divisions were exacerbated by the Feb. 14 incident, according to students and families.

Burchfield was removed April 5, stemming from an incident a day earlier of possible employee misconduct that was redacted from the document. There is an open investigation into the potential misconduct by Professional Standards.

A day later, the players staged a walkout during a game against Estero High at Terry Park, which resulted in a forfeit. The FHSAA fined the school $500 for unsportsmanlike conduct for the walkout.

Fort Myers principal Robert Butz emailed parents and players of the baseball team on April 13 to announce the suspension of the remainder of the team's season, which included six regular-season games on the schedule and at least one district tournament game. He stated in the email, “This was not an easy decision to make, but the current status of our team and coaching staff does not provide a viable path forward for the remainder of the season.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funding, like a public high school in the case of the Fort Myers baseball team.

According to Bradley's findings, there was not enough evidence of institutional discrimination that would lead to a Title VI violation, while non-discriminatory explanations were supported. This included the pre-existing divisions on the team involving perceived preferential treatment toward players coached by Burchfield on a travel baseball team.

The investigation made note of several allegations, including a permissive culture and tolerance of racist comments. Other accusations included that Burchfield physically pushed players on more than one occasion, and coaches spoke inappropriately about personal relationships, players and players' parents — both are subject to further review.

Bradley made several recommendations for the district, including the implementation of consistent rules and consequences during athletic participation, clarification of expectations and processes for athletic directors and coaches, better proactive communication strategies and improvement of local investigation practices pertaining to Title VI.

The relationship between the Green Wave Baseball Alumni Club, Fort Myers High School and the Athletic Boosters Club of Fort Myers should be reviewed under Title IX for possible corrective actions, according to the district recommendations.

"Families involved in this investigation will be provided information regarding their right of appeal to the decisions and findings included in this investigation," the report stated.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers baseball cleared of Title VI violation after investigation