Toledo Public Schools officials continue to investigate an altercation between a Start High School teacher and student, with questions remaining about how district leaders responded to the incident more than eight weeks after it took place.
Teacher Kenneth Crosley has been on paid leave for roughly a month and a half while district administrators probe what transpired Oct. 12 between him and a 16-year-old female student. Mr. Crosley is accused of using a baseball bat to force the student out of a classroom, twisting her fingers, and putting her in a chokehold.
Mr. Crosley’s discipline hearing was on Dec. 5, but a decision on his future has yet to be determined.
Former Start Assistant Principal Kenneth Rosplohowski, who was suspended without pay effective Nov. 2 and returned to work Nov. 15, has since been reassigned to his previous role as a career and technical education student liaison.
District officials said the reassignment was not a demotion. Mr. Rosplohowski, however, was paid an additional $28 per day while serving as assistant principal. But TPS officials say he was serving only as the acting assistant principal, and was never intended to be in that role permanently.
Start’s principal Edward Perozek was suspended without pay for three days, but TPS administrators have declined to discuss differences in actions taken toward Mr. Perozek and Mr. Rosplohowski. They’ve also declined to answer any more questions about the ongoing investigation, referring instead to a written statement the district released last week.
“The safety of our students is the top priority of Toledo Public Schools,” the statement said. “All allegations are investigated, and appropriate disciplinary steps could be taken against a student, or staff member should the findings dictate that outcome.”
Some witnesses said a violent altercation did occur, while others deny Mr. Crosley assaulted the student.
The student, according to the incident report, said Mr. Crosley yelled at her when she entered his classroom to purchase a homecoming ticket. He then used a bat to push her out of the classroom, she said in the report.
Several students who were in the classroom said the female student was unruly when she entered, according to eyewitness statements.
While in the hallway, the student said, Mr. Crosley “grabbed her fingers back” and put her in a “chokehold,” the report states.
Mr. Crosley acknowledged he had a baseball bat and offered a different version of events.
“Fearing for the students’ and my safety I grabbed a baseball bat, which is used for lockdown purposes, and told her that she needed to leave,” Mr. Crosley said in a statement. But he said he only “nudged” the student out of his room.
Once in the hallway, Mr. Crosley said, the student “took an offensive position” as if she were preparing to swing at him, according to the report. He told police he then “gained control” of the student until school security and the assistant principal arrived.
Records suggest Start High School administrators knew about the altercation but delayed opening an official investigation for three weeks. Top TPS administrators also weren’t made aware of the incident.
First Published December 14, 2018, 7:35 p.m.
