Inglewood High Player Cleared After Probe

The investigation of Inglewood High basketball player Jason Hart concluded Wednesday with Southern Section officials claiming they had found no evidence that the senior was improperly enrolled at the school.

Hart, a 6-foot-2 guard who has signed a letter of intent with Syracuse, was suspended from the team for three days last week while school administrators reviewed allegations that he wasn’t living in the Inglewood attendance area. Principal Kenneth Crowe cleared Hart last Friday and he played in the team’s victory over Palos Verdes Peninsula that night.

Crowe, however, did not inform the Southern Section office that Hart had been cleared and Commissioner Dean Crowley spent the last two days reviewing documents before announcing he was satisfied with the school’s investigation.

Crowley wouldn’t discuss the content of the documents but said the 17 pages submitted made him comfortable with his decision.

“The school said the player and his family moved into their district over the summer, and they have the paperwork to back it up,” Crowley said.

The investigation was handled by Crowe and concluded after he had spoken with the Hart family and the school district’s police department, Crowley said. Crowe would not talk with The Times on Wednesday.

Hart’s attorney, Michael Kapland, also refused comment. Hart didn’t return phone calls.

Hart transferred from Westchester to Inglewood over the summer. In an interview three weeks ago, Deborah Hart, the player’s mother, said Jason moved from her home to live with his brother, Richard Hart, in Inglewood. Deborah Hart lives in South-Central Los Angeles. Her home phone, which was working Tuesday, was temporarily disconnected Wednesday.

To be eligible under those circumstances, Hart would have had to receive a hardship waiver from the Southern Section and a change in legal guardianship. Crowley said he had neither.

While attending Westchester for three years, Hart lived near Crenshaw High. He said he was able to enroll at Westchester because he obtained a special district permit allowing him athletic eligibility while living out of the area. But City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege said neither she nor anyone at Westchester has a record of such a permit.

“It appears he was illegally enrolled there all three years,” she said. “He’s out of our jurisdiction now, but Westchester will be reprimanded over the matter.”