Indianapolis Public Schools employee accused of sexual misconduct involving a student

An Indianapolis Public Schools employee was accused of sexual misconduct at Arsenal Technical High involving a student, district officials said.

The incident was reported June 1, according to officials, who declined to identify the employee. The staff member is no longer employed by the district, officials said, but they declined to comment on whether the staffer left voluntarily or was terminated.

The district released a statement saying that all necessary reports were filed immediately to Child Protective Services and in compliance with Title IX, a federal education law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment and assault. “Protecting our students is our top priority and we will continue to be diligent in our efforts,” the statement said.

The incident was also reported to the Indianapolis Public Schools police, according to district spokeswoman Carrie Cline Black.

In addition, Arsenal Tech has been undergoing leadership turnover. After less than one year leading the school, Principal Lloyd Bryant recently submitted his resignation.

Chalkbeat was unable to reach Bryant for comment Wednesday. Reached for comment Thursday after this article originally published, Bryant said that he resigned for family reasons and that his resignation was unrelated to the sexual misconduct report at Tech. He said he is leaving to rejoin his wife and children, who remained in Washington, D.C., when he took a job with Indianapolis Public Schools in 2016.

Black declined to comment on Bryant’s resignation, saying the district does not comment on personnel matters. Chalkbeat was unable to reach Bryant by email or phone.

Bryant took over as interim principal last year after the school abruptly lost Principal Julie Bakehorn. He was later hired to lead the school next year during a district-wide high school reconfiguration.

Indianapolis Public Schools was sharply criticized for failing to report child abuse in 2016. Two district employees faced criminal misdemeanor charges for not immediately reporting sexual abuse allegations against a school counselor, involving a student. The counselor, Shana Taylor, and two employees were fired, with three others resigning in the wake of the incident.

Update: June 28, 2018: This story has been updated to include comment from former Arsenal Tech Principal Lloyd Bryant.