- All teacher discipline reports to be forwarded to state investigators
- District denies allegations in lawsuit by parents on Rausenberg case
- Columbus Catholic schools pledges similar reporting action
"We've got to keep working to build that trust up with our community that we are going to be vigilant. All I can do is promise our community, we're not going to relax moving forward," said Olentangy Local Schools Superintendent Mark Raiff.
Raiff sat down with 10 Investigates after declining an interview when its series Failure To Protect aired April 28.
Multiple families say they warned Arrowhead elementary principals about teacher Matthew Rausenberg's inappropriate behavior as early as five years before his conviction.
"There was competition in that classroom to see who got to rub his back, who got to sit on his back. It was just - it gave me a bad feeling in my stomach," said Stacy, whose last name was withheld to protect the identity of their daughter.
"It would have stopped him here. They could have stopped him. We're not the only parents that complained. There's other parents. It's not just us, but it's a series of people that for some reason, they did not think that was important enough to listen to us," added Chris, another parent that agreed to speak to 10 Investigates.
Rausenberg's principal gave him a written discipline notice after a similar complaint of inappropriate contact with a student in 2012.
That discipline report was never handed to state investigators.
State law does not require districts to hand over that information in certain circumstances but many districts volunteer teacher complaints to the Ohio Department of Education.
When asked if he regretted that decision, Raiff replied, "I think in hindsight it's easy to go back and second guess any decision we make. I think we made the best decision we could with the information we had in that case."
"I welcome ODE to come in and verify our investigation,” added Raiff. He also said all discipline reports against teachers will now be passed onto state investigators.
A lawsuit by three families alleges the district was told of criminal activity by Rausenberg but did nothing. The district denies those allegations.
When asked if having students sitting on teacher’s laps or similar contact with children would be considered “conduct unbecoming” worthy of an investigation, Raiff responded, “I think depending on the context of that. It's sad that caring gestures that would have, long ago, not been perceived as inappropriate are now inappropriate. I think they have to be fully investigated and we have to make sure we understand what the context of that situation was. It may be deemed inappropriate and conduct unbecoming."