Image of water polo players in Speedos sparks controversy. Mom wants SoCal school officials to resign
An online photo of a high school water polo team in Speedos has sparked a heated debate in Temecula, with the mother of one of the players demanding two school board members remove the allegedly “sexual” photo.
The controversy erupted two weeks ago when Sharon Sardina learned from a friend that her 17-year-old son was being discussed online.
Sardina’s son, a junior at Temecula Valley High School, posed with five members of the water polo team shirtless in their Speedos. The youth had written “BEARS-!” on their chests supporting the school’s baseball team.
The team posted a photo on the school’s Instagram page. It caught the attention of Temecula Valley Unified School District Board President Joseph Komrosky and member Jennifer Wiersma.
“Speaking of dress codes…are our teams now a ‘Fans Only’ team? Hats off to the kids who were wearing pants,” Wiersma captioned an Instagram story that also included a photo of the students.
In response to this photo, Komrosky also posted a statement of the district’s vision on his Instagram page.
“If they want to support a baseball team or any other team, they can do it by just saying they do and looking like professionals,” he wrote in a comment on Instagram. “My concern is that I don’t want them to look like they’re being teased in a sexually provocative manner looking like they’re one step closer to the Chippendales. We don’t need that in our school and in our community.”
Others seem to agree with Sardina.
“If this is jumping, you shouldn’t be around kids,” wrote Instagram user Stephanie Berry in response to Komrosky’s comments on her Instagram. “As a parent it seems that the boys who swim are being silly and supporting their friends, I will pray for your lost minds.”
Sardina said she was furious when she heard about the school board members’ comments and told her to fire them.
“They have no interest in our children right now,” he told The Times. “They are putting our children in trouble by posing as sex, I want them to see that the real problem is not about dressing but about these two adults who have taken it to another level and it is sexual abuse right now.
On Tuesday evening, Sardina presented a public opinion at a school board meeting, calling for Wiersma and Komrosky to resign.
“Tonight, I am asking this Board to finally see the seriousness of what has happened, hold those involved responsible, and understand why many of us no longer trust the leadership that was supposed to protect our children,” he said.
“I am asking for accountability. I am asking for integrity. And yes, I am asking for resignation, because leadership without responsibilities is not leadership at all.”
Sardina said that she also wanted to speak in front of the board about this issue, but the board members did not allow anyone to speak, saying that they wanted to speak to the lawyers first.
According to Sardina, Wiersma posted an apology on his Instagram story but he doesn’t think it covers what was said because the story disappears after 24 hours. The Times did not review the apology.
In a statement sent to The Times, Komrosky said he thought the image of the polo players was “wrong and that their clothing did not conform to the county’s administrative rules.”
“I am sure that these are wonderful children and they did not intend to harm this position,” he said in a statement. “Finally, I will encourage them to ‘dress for success,’ as they will be our future leaders when they leave TVUSD.”
Sardina said her son was taken out of class to talk to the principal of his school about the photo.
“He no longer feels he can trust his school board members,” said Sardina. “The trust is broken but he knows that he has a lot of good people who support him and support him. If something is not done about the reprimand, what will it do to him as a student? This can seriously damage a person’s attitude.”
