The current athletic director of the Bowling Green (Ohio) City School District, its board of education, and two former administrators have been sued for wanton and reckless misconduct that led to the rape of a student by a former strength and conditioning coach, who is also named as a defendant as he serves time in the London Correctional Institution.
As reported by the Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green, former superintendent Francis Scruci, now living in Norwalk; former Bowling Green High School human resources generalist Adrienne Radebaugh; current athletic director Michele Wolf; and the board of education have been named as defendants in the suit filed by John Doe and his parents.
The complaint alleges that recklessness on the part of the Bowling Green City School District and its employees allowed Zachary Gibson, a former Bowling Green High School boys’ strength and conditioning coach, to rape Doe, who was 16 years old and attending BGHS, on two occasions in March and/or April 2022, the Sentinel-Tribune reported.
In 2024, Gibson was found guilty of rape and additional charges including sexual battery, pandering sexual-oriented material involving a minor, gross sexual imposition and disseminating sexual material to juveniles. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
At the time of the offenses, he was “an approved and authorized volunteer or employee or independent contractor” paid by the district, according to court documents cited by the Sentinel-Tribune.
Court documents state the board of education and the district did not have a policy regarding background checks or minimum requirements for its volunteers to ensure the safety of its students. Such a policy is not required by Ohio law, but most schools require background checks for volunteers or anyone who will be around students, according to the lawsuit.
“Schools have a duty to ... students and the parents to ensure the safety of the students by conducting thorough background checks and adhering to policies designed to prevent individuals with potentially harmful histories from being in positions where they can harm students,” the lawsuit states, as reported by the Sentinel-Tribune.
According to the lawsuit, the district didn't require Gibson to undergo a criminal background check upon his hire as an independent contractor in 2021 and prior to his unsupervised access to minor student-athletes.
Only five months after he was hired did the district request a background check from Gibson. An email sent by the Toledo Diocese to athletic director Wolf included BCI and FBI reports along with a message that “Gibson was not cleared to minister with youth.”
Wolf admitted receipt of the email and forwarded it to Scruci, the superintendent.
According to court documents, Gibson had a 2010 conviction when he was 18 years old for disseminating matters harmful to juveniles.
Upon receipt of this information, Scruci, Wolf and Radebaugh recklessly failed to do anything and continued to allow Gibson to work with students.
Ohio Revised Code requires school districts to notify parents if records checks reveal an individual was convicted of a sexual offense. That person may not have unsupervised access to children unless such a notice is sent to parents.
The defendants named in the lawsuit “intentionally” failed to provide notice under Ohio law in order to give Gibson “a second chance,” according to court documents.
On April 6, 2022, Doe’s parents, upon noticing changes in their son’s behavior, reported the matter to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, which conducted an investigation and discovered several other victims, the Sentinel-Tribune reported.
Gibson was fired in late April 2022 and was arrested two months later.
That summer, the board of education gave Scruci a merit base raise and bonus. Board members never disciplined Scruci or Wolf, thus showing their indifference to student safety, court documents state.
The lawsuit lists 14 counts, including infliction of emotional distress, intentional criminal wrongdoing, negligence/recklessness, and negligent retention and supervision of both Scruci and Gibson.
Plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorney fees, with the amount to be determined at trial.
