A colleague flagged the same teacher twice, and now a jury decides what she knew
A principal who was warned twice about a teacher can be sued in her own name, an Ohio appeals court ruled.
On August 20, 2026, the Tenth District Court of Appeals held that South-Western City School District could not use government immunity to escape a claim that it failed to report suspected child abuse. The court kept the district's immunity on related negligence claims but let the reporting claim, and the full case against the principal, move forward.
The teacher pleaded guilty in January 2024 to two felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and was sentenced to six years in prison. He had taught the student in eighth grade and coached her in middle school sports. In 2023, the former student sued the district, its board, and the principal, saying staff missed or ignored years of warning signs.
Ohio law requires teachers and administrators to report suspected child abuse and attaches civil liability to those who fail to do so. The district argued that, as a government body, it was immune. The court disagreed on the reporting claim, following state Supreme Court precedent that districts lose immunity when they or their staff fail to report. It agreed the district kept immunity on negligent supervision and security claims, treating those as part of the governmental function of running schools.
The principal said she knew nothing. The record complicated that. A former teacher...
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