WASHINGTON (7News) — Earlier this year, 7News undercover caught Curtis Yarbrough, a physical education teacher at Anita J. Turner Elementary School in Washington, DC, giving a private basketball lesson after school in the school’s gymnasium, which also serves as a recreation center.
Yarbrough operates under the name MoSkillz Basketball and sells private basketball lessons.
“Many rising stars…too many to list. Mo Skillz is my basketball training company and the name comes from my nickname and the word ‘skills’. My nickname as a kid was Mo,” says Curtis Yarbrough of MoSkillz Basketball Training on Instagram.
7News asks questions about his use of the gym at Turner Elementary, a public school in Washington, DC
In the district, everyone must pay to use a DC Public Schools gymnasium. The cost is $137 per event or $480 per month. A tenant must complete and submit a building use agreement. DCPS employees do not receive a discount.
Yarbrough has been showcasing his work with children at the Turner gym on social media for years. Post after post shows him giving private lessons to Turner.
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7News does not question Coach Curtis’ commitment to the DC community. We also recognize his efforts to develop the talents of the area’s basketball players, but does he pay for the use of the gym at Turner?
DCPS told 7News that this was not the case. In an email, it said:
“DC Public Schools has no record of a building use agreement between Mo Skillz Basketball Training and Turner Elementary School. The district does not have a policy that allows employees to use school facilities for free for non-school related activities or events. Through our partnership with the Department of General Services, all employees are expected to follow the process for obtaining building use agreements and remit the appropriate fees to the district for facility use.Thank you for bringing this issue to the district’s attention. I have escalated it to the appropriate teams for review and can confirm that use of the gym for any non-school related activities or events has been suspended until the matter is thoroughly investigated and resolved.
Kera Tyler
DCPS Office of Communications
Email Yarbrough requesting private lessons and he will tell you his price: $75 for a private one-on-one lesson and up to $200 for group lessons.
7News provided videos and images of Yarbrough’s work with children in Turner to the school district, which forwarded them to investigators from the DC Office of Inspector General.
Shortly thereafter, Yarbrough deleted several videos of him giving private lessons at Turner Elementary from his Instagram account, but videos of him giving private lessons at Turner Elementary can still be found on his Facebook page.
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7News contacted Yarbrough and he said on the phone:
“You’re getting real news. People die on this street corner every day. God bless you.”
Before hanging up on 7News, Yarbrough said he was paying for the use of a school gym and had a construction contract.
DCPS has no records of this.
Yarbrough says he is not suspended from using the Turner gym and only gives private lessons there with students who attend the elementary school, and that it is free because he has an agreement with the school.
His Facebook page says otherwise. He shows a video of Turner’s gym from last year, which he describes as a private session. He says everything is customized to the client and his client is one of the best high school guards in the area and has several offers.
He keeps hashtagging MoSkillz Basketball.
The DC Inspector General’s office told 7News it could not comment on ongoing investigations.
