Yellow Springs investigation into alleged sex assaults ‘taking longer than expected’

Yellow Springs High School is the only high school in the Yellow Springs Exempted Village Schools district, teaching grades 9-12.

Credit: Jim Witmer

Credit: Jim Witmer

Yellow Springs High School is the only high school in the Yellow Springs Exempted Village Schools district, teaching grades 9-12.

Officials at Yellow Springs Schools are conducting an internal investigation into allegations of sexual assaults involving students that surfaced in March at the high school.

“We’re still investigating the issue on the student and staff level. We’re trying to complete the investigation as quickly as possible. It’s taking longer than expected,” said Superintendent Mario Basora.

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Basora said the district’s investigation is focused on finding out what happened “around issues of sexual assault within the school community” and to determine on the staffing level who knew what, when did they know it and what did they do with the information.

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State law requires persons who are charged with the care of minors report such allegations to law enforcement.

“We want to be sure to know what the level of awareness was to the staff, and did we do the proper channels of reporting?” Basora said. “We’re trying to verify and make sure that we acted appropriately in concert with the law and board policies.”

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The Dayton Daily News has requested an update from Yellow Springs Police Chief Brian Carlson on the status of the department’s ongoing investigation into sexual assault claims at the high school.

According to a Yellow Springs police report, officers were called to the high school on March 7 and took a report from school officials that a student reported one or more incidents of sexual assault involving other students that occurred over a several-month period.

The investigations are occurring at a time when the high school principal, Tim Krier, has been on a medical leave of absence since March 8.

Krier’s sick leave has been extended, and he is not expected to return to the district before the end of the school year, Basora said this  week.

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Upon Krier’s sick leave approval, the principal was advised to stay off school grounds, turn in his keys and clean out his office, according to a March 15 letter from the superintendent and obtained using Ohio’s public records laws.

Basora told district families in a letter last month that Krier is not suspected of any sexual misconduct.

“There is no current or pending investigation of Dr. Krier related to him engaging in any form of sexual misconduct or any mistreatment of students or staff,” Basora wrote then.

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