The Springboro (Ohio) Board of Education has approved a settlement agreement related to a federal civil class action lawsuit with parents whose students were sexually abused by a former gym teacher.
As reported by Dayton CBS affiliate WHIO, the board approved the agreement during a meeting last week. In a district statement to WHIO, it was revealed that the “district has had no out-of-pocket expenses for this claim, at this time.”
“The settlement sum amount, as agreed upon by Liberty Mutual Insurance/Netherlands Insurance Company and the claimants is not an out-of-pocket, district expense," the statement read. "The district expense for this claim could reach a maximum of $2,500, based on the district’s insurance deductible for this claim."
John Austin Hopkins, a former Springboro gym teacher, was found guilty of 34 of 36 counts of gross sexual imposition in March 2020. Accusations against Hopkins involved sexual contact 28 students, some repeatedly. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in June 2020. As part of his sentencing, Hopkins was designated as a Tier II sex offender and will have to register his address every six months for 25 years after his release.
WHIO obtained a copy of the settlement through a public records request. In the settlement, “Claimants completely release, acquit, forever discharge and agree to hold harmless” all parties involved except Hopkins.
The federal class-action lawsuit was filed in September 2019 and alleged that Hopkins kept the gymnasium door locked and installed a doorbell on the gym door to alert him when school staff wanted access.
The district first learned of allegations of inappropriate conduct with a student when a parent reported concerns to the principal at Clearcreek Elementary School, according to earlier WHIO reporting.
As part of the settlement, the district has either implemented or plans to implement the following policies and practices outlined in the settlement:
- The superintendent will “provide information to building principals and teaching staff that ‘doorbells’ will not be permitted outside any building classrooms.”
- The district has converted its security system to a web-based viewing system that allows all school resource officers, school secretaries and building administrators to have access to monitoring in real time.
- Annual, in-person training will also be conducted on topics of sexual harassment and abuse prevention and awareness.
