Hilliard (Ohio) Bradley High School athletic director Kaz Pata has resigned amid allegations that he used social media to make two women at the school uncomfortable.
According to a document in Pata's personnel file, obtained Wednesday by The Columbus Dispatch, "the district received complaints from two female staff members that Mr. Pata made them uncomfortable in his attempts to communicate with them over social media. The district asked Mr. Pata to resign, and he did."
Pata, who was two years into a three-year contract, had been placed on paid leave earlier this month.
His resignation is effective March 1.
Contacted by The Dispatch at his home, Pata, 33, initially said that his resignation was related to personal issues at home.
"Really, I wasn't doing a good job with that work-life balance," he said, explaining that his $97,000 per year job required working late, often 60 to 70 hours per week. "I realized that the best thing I could do is to take a step back."
The married father of two girls ages 3 and 1 insisted, "There was nothing said that was inappropriate" in his contact with the staffers, according to Dispatch reporter Dean Narciso.
However, he opted to not face his accusers, one of whom he claimed not to recognize as a staff member, and mount a formal defense. "I didn't want the narrative to take off," he said. "The last thing I wanted to do is add fuel to the fire."
Upon learning of the womens' complaints in early February, Pata said, "It blew me away. I felt like it was an attack against me."
Pata, who grew up in Ohio, has an extensive resume teaching, coaching and eventually managing sports programs. He called being Hilliard athletic director "my dream job," Narciso reported.
