Chris Roll removed as Lake Park’s football coach

Lake Park football coach Chris Roll has been removed from his position and could face further discipline for failing to get a background check on a volunteer with the Roselle school’s football team.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Lake Park High School District 108 officials announced the findings of an internal investigation that focused on how a volunteer football coach, Frank J. Battaglia, 72, was allowed to work with this year’s Lancers despite having pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a high school girl in the early 1990s.

After his background came to light, the district suspended Roll and placed Principal Dominic Manola and Athletic Director Pete Schauer on administrative leave.

District 108 officials said in the statement that head coaches are required to submit their team’s coaching roster, “including all paid and volunteer coaches, to the human resources department for a criminal-background check before the coach begins their coaching duties.”

District officials said the investigation determined that Roll “failed to follow the required criminal background process and directed an assistant coach to remove the volunteer coach from the list of names submitted to human resources for a background check.”

As a result, Battaglia was never subject to the district’s required criminal background process.

”Based upon the investigation findings, the administration has removed Chris Roll from the head varsity football coach position and will recommend disciplinary action be issued by the board of education,” the statement reads.

Read more at the Daily Herald.