Toledo Public Schools fired a teacher who was accused of putting a female student in a chokehold  after using a bat to push her out of his classroom.

Kenneth Crosley, a teacher at Start High School, was suspended with pay on Nov. 2, stemming from a physical altercation he had with a 16-year-old student.

The female student told School Resource Officer Marquitta Bey on Oct. 12 that she had visited Mr. Crosley’s classroom to purchase a homecoming ticket. The student said Mr. Crosley yelled at her to “get the hell out of here” before grabbing a baseball bat. He then used the bat to push her out of the classroom.

Mr. Crosley 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 said then “gained control” of the student until school security and the assistant principal arrived.

“Please be advised that Toledo City School District Board of Education intends to consider the termination of your employment contract on the grounds of violation of licensure Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators, Violation of Board Policies, Unprofessional Conduct and other just and reasonable cause,” a disciplinary notification sent to Mr. Crosley on Dec. 19.

Kevin Dalton, president of Toledo Federation of Teachers, said the union was made aware of the district’s decision to accept the hearing officer’s recommendation for termination.

“We will meet with Mr. Crosley to determine the next steps moving forward,” he said.

The Toledo Board of Education on Tuesday voted to fire Mr. Crosley on the recommendation of district administration.

The district’s action to discipline Mr. Crosley is the latest development in a multi-week investigation that has been shrouded by uncertainty.

Top TPS officials said they knew nothing about what transpired at Start for weeks. They also didn’t move to discipline employees involved for three weeks.

Start's principal Edward Perozek was suspended without pay for three days. Former Start Assistant Principal Kenneth Rosplohowski was suspended without pay for two weeks, and has been reassigned to his previous role as a career and technical education student liaison.

TPS has also repeatedly denied The Blade access to the video surveillance footage of the Oct. 12 incident.

“We accept the fact that our employees made mistakes and we've handled those appropriately,” said James Gant, chief of staff for TPS.

Mr. Gant added that the district "really respects" its employees and is ready to move forward.

This latest incident, however, was not Mr. Crosley’s first time being disciplined by the district.

District records show he was reprimanded in 2001 for showing a junior high class “Me, Myself & Irene,” an R-rated film starring Jim Carrey. In 2004 while a teacher at what was then Leverette Junior High School, he was suspended without pay after he gave a female student a picture of his crotch.

Clinton Faulkner, then executive assistant to the superintendent for human resources, told The Blade at the time that Mr. Crosley “took a picture of his face and took a picture of his crotch area and said, 'Show your parents this.' He was clothed."

Then-Chief of Staff Sheila Austin said the suspension was part of progressive discipline for Mr. Crosley, and said any further issues would “result in immediate termination.”

Mr. Crosley has been with the district since 1995 as a substitute and as a full-time teacher since 1996.

First Published December 20, 2018, 5:42 p.m.