The entire girls' soccer coaching staff at Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, has been placed on paid administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation into alleged hazing, according to the school district.
As reported by CBS affiliate WBNS in Columbus, a social media post from Olentangy Schools stated on Sept. 16 that a teacher reported a rumor of alleged hazing that occurred over the summer involving Olentangy Orange's girls' soccer team.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, citing video evidence, senior varsity team members apparently drove to younger varsity team members' houses after 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 11 and coaxed the girls out of bed. They had the younger players take their pants off and wear adult-sized diapers, zip-tied their wrists and wrapped their arms to their chests with plastic wrap. The girls also wore diapers on their heads and goggles covered in duct tape over their eyes.
The girls were put in cars and driven around town, sprayed with Silly String, shaving cream and glitter, according to the Dispatch, adding seniors asked their younger teammates sexually explicit questions and forced them to eat raw hot dogs and sardines.
The alleged hazing incident was dubbed "the kidnapping."
The activity took place in the driveway of a district parent's home, the district's social media post stated, per WBNS.
According to the district and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, no family member or reported victims had reported the incident or filed charges at that time.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office sent the following statement to WBNS on Sept. 28:
"We are not pursuing criminal charges in this case due to insufficient criminal evidence, but also, in part, the level of cooperation we received from the involved parties. It was the school — not a student or family member — that initially brought this matter to our attention."
The sheriff's office and school district began separate investigations, according to WBNS. The district reportedly issued discipline to the students involved but said law enforcement later determined that no criminal charges would be brought.
During the simultaneous investigations, new information was shared regarding what happened over the summer, the district said.
As a result, Olentangy Schools said it is conducting a "further, comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding the reported incident," including placing the coaching staff on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
In an updated statement sent to WBNS on Oct. 1, the sheriff's office said it will be collaborating with the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate after it received multiple community tips and reports from additional parents.
The agency added it will be reviewing available video footage and interview people involving in the incident apart from the district's investigation.
"The reported conduct involving members of the Olentangy Orange High School girls’ soccer program is deeply concerning and does not reflect the expectations we have for our students, student-athletes, or athletic programs. Hazing, harassment, intimidation, retaliation, and bullying have no place in Olentangy Schools," the district said.
The district also referred to Olentangy Board of Education's Policy 5516 pertaining to student hazing.
"The Board and administration expect strict compliance with all policies — especially policies like these as they protect our students' physical and mental well-being and support our mission to facilitate maximum learning for every student," the district wrote in their statement.
The district encourages anyone who has been a victim of or a witness to hazing, bullying or harassment to report that behavior to building leadership or through the district's anonymous "Stay Safe, Speak Up" reporting system.
According to the Dispatch, every central Ohio school district has rules regarding hazing in their board policies. That said, there is no law requiring K-12 school districts to have a hazing policy, unlike at the collegiate level under the Colin's Law, which increased the legal penalties for hazing in Ohio.
Regardless, school employees are still required under state law to be mandatory reporters for hazing, which is defined by the Ohio Revised Code as doing "any act or coercing another ... to do any act of initiation into any student or other organization ... that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person, including coercing another to consume alcohol or a drug."
A majority of central Ohio districts use a model policy provided by North East Ohio Learning Associates (NEOLA), an independent provider of policy services to school districts, the Dispatch reported. Some of the regions largest districts, including Columbus City Schools, Olentangy Local Schools and South Western City Schools have a NEOLA policy on the books.
