A pair of separation agreements were approved at Thursday’s Marysville Board of Education meeting, including one for a teacher who signed a last-chance agreement roughly a year ago.
The agreements, stemming from separate incidents, officially ended the employment of 11-year educator Scott Hamilton and bus driver Dan Oxley, who has been employed by the district since 2016.
The actions against Hamilton are the result of accusations similar to those discovered when he was removed from the classroom early in the 22-23 school year.
According to documentation in Hamilton’s personnel file, in the most recent allegations, in early October a pair of female students in different classes accused the high school history teacher of placing his hand on their back, making them feel uncomfortable. The allegations were investigated and district officials found several students who supported the claims.
On Oct. 16 the district sent notice to Hamilton that he was being placed on leave pending a disciplinary hearing. That hearing never occurred as Hamilton submitted his intent to retire at the end of November, an action approved at the October board of education meeting.
The departure was expedited because of similar allegations at the start of last school year. In that situation officials were approached by a student with concerns about Hamilton stemming from an classroom incident in which students were shown an image of a hanging as part of a history class, with no warning about the graphic and potentially disturbing nature of the photo.
Hamilton was removed from the classroom last year as officials investigated the incident, but additional allegations from students came to light. Female students reported that Hamilton had touched their back, shoulder or hair making them feel uncomfortable, while other students and staff accused him of making inappropriate comments.
In 2022, Superintendent Diane Allen said the physical contact was described as “weird and creepy,” but was not described as being sexual in nature. The current allegations of contact also fail to veer into anything sexual in nature.
The students involved in the current allegations are different from those involved in the incidents last year.
Hamilton was allowed to return to the classroom in 2022 after signing a last-chance agreement that stipulated that he have no physical contact with any student, except in the case of an emergency. He was also docked two days of pay, barred from holding supplemental contracts and submitted to mandatory professional development connected to some of the issues raised during the investigation.
District Director of Human Resources Lynnette Focht said the most recent incidents are a clear violation of the terms of the last-chance agreement.
The action against Oxley is the result of a series of incidents dating back to 2017, the most recent of which involved a 5-year-old student being dropped off at an unapproved location with no adult supervision.
Oxley, who served as trainer for new drivers as well as being the union head for the district’s bus drivers, collected a series of notices in his personnel file which seemed to grow in seriousness through the years.
Issues listed in the file include:
-Feb. 7, 2017 – An evaluation citing a need for better understanding of the Ohio Revised Code.
-Oct. 15, 2021 – Disciplined for failing to follow proper procedures securing and documenting an assignment driving on a trip.
-Jan. 26, 2022 – Notification of insubordination and unprofessional conduct.
-May. 13, 2022 – An evaluation that cited a need to maintain professionalism in difficult situations that also suggested continuing education on laws and regulations concerning school transportation.
-Oct. 6, 2022 – A reprimand for allowing students to walk around the bus while it is in motion.
-May 26, 2023 – A five-day, unpaid suspension for allowing students to stand for long periods of time while the bus was in motion and failing to appropriately monitor student behavior.
Documents indicate the final incident that prompted the separation occurred on Oct. 2 when Oxley dropped a 5-year-old student off at his home instead of his babysitter’s house, as usual.
Apparently, when the student boarded the bus after school, Oxley asked if he was going to the babysitter’s house but was told by the student that he was to be dropped off at home. The student had been dropped off at home on occasion previously, but in order to do so the transportation department needed a phone call or note from his parents.
Focht said Oxley had about 20 minutes after picking up the child to try to confirm the alternate drop-off location but did not.
The transportation department was alerted to the situation when the babysitter called to inquire where the student was. Apparently, once off the bus, the boy was able to enter his house but had been in the home for an hour unsupervised.
Oxley filed grievances through the district and the State Employee Relations Board but none were successful.
The separation agreement allows the district and employee to part ways without an official firing, though details of all infractions are still contained in the employee’s personnel file for future potential employers.
According to a document in Oxley’s file he has applied to be a bus driver in the Olentangy School District.