BEXLEY, Ohio — According to lawyers hired by the Columbus School for Girls, a now-former teacher is believed to have had sex with a student more than a decade ago.
That teacher, Steven Pryor, has not been criminally charged.
The Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Professional Conduct’s standard operating procedure for handling allegations appears to have been followed by the school in the case of Pryor.
Since lawyers hired by the school came to their own conclusion, the school notified Bexley police, Franklin County Children Service, and the Department of Education.
According to a letter from the school to its community, whether criminal charges will be filed is “out of CSG’s purview” and they are quote “prepared to help students however they may need it.”
That letter was signed by Jennifer Ciccarelli, the current head of schools.
In the mid-2000s, the time when the incident was said to have happened, the head of schools was Diane Cooper, who retired in 2009.
Pryor was placed on paid administrative leave in November after Ciccarelli said she received a credible allegation. He later resigned.
Pryor could continue to teach elsewhere as of now. His license is still active and because he has not been criminally charged, he does not have to surrender that license. He can voluntarily do so, although there is no indication at this time if he has done so.
Columbus School for Girls provided the following statement to 10TV on Friday:
“The independent investigation completed by Hogan Lovells US LLP included any and all allegations received by CSG regarding the inappropriate conduct of Steven Pryor, a former teacher at CSG. As stated in a letter sent to the CSG community, Wednesday, February 10, 2021, the results of the investigation are that “Mr. Pryor engaged in a sexual relationship with one of his students while she attended CSG [in the mid-2000s]. The investigation did not find evidence of any other instances of misconduct on Mr. Pryor's part.”
CSG has taken all legal and reporting avenues available to us considering the number of years that have passed since the conduct occurred. The results of the investigation were reported to the Ohio Department of Education shortly after we received the investigation report. Bexley Police were notified of the investigation results on February 11, 2021. At this time, the police have advised that the victim contact them. CSG also notified Franklin County Children Services on February 11, 2021.
CSG’s priority is and always has been the safety of our students. That includes respecting and honoring the privacy of the now-adult victim in this case.”