TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement Ottawa Hills Local Schools sent out to parents and community members Tuesday.
Disturbing details are outlined in the recently-expanded $100 million sexual assault civil lawsuit against Ottawa Hills Local School District filed by victims of former district employee and convicted rapist Ronald "Donnie" Stevens.
"Let's be 100% clear about what happened," James Harrington, a lawyer representing one of the victims, said. "Children were raped at school. I'm going to say that one more time. Children were raped at school."
The lawsuit details that the abuse happened hundreds of times to multiple students over the course of three years and that there were people in the district who knew about it or suspected it.
Stevens was sentenced in 2021 to a combined life sentence with a minimum sentence of 101 years after a jury found him guilty of more than 30 charges, including multiple counts of rape.
"No kid should ever get sexually abused at school, ever," Nick DiCello, another lawyer representing a victim, said.
But from 2017 to 2019, students were abused. Details from the victims allege how, when and where the minors were sexually abused by Stevens.
"Donnie would then walk down to his office with blackened-out windows," Casey Talbott, another lawyer representing a victim, said. "He would shut the door behind him and take the young boy in there. He would groom the boy, he would molest the boy, or worse, he would rape the boy."
For one of the victims, the document details him being sexually abused approximately 200 to 300 times, with most of it happening at the school.
Stevens had access to the students despite his position as operations manager. Victims' lawyers say he never should have had that access.
"This is a janitor, maintenance staff, operations manager who by definition in his job description has no legitimate educational purpose for accessing any student's scholastic records," DiCello said.
The lawyers alleged one of the victim's parents was pressured to sign paperwork to allow Stevens to pull their son out of class.
The document also outlines four teachers who the victims say knew of Stevens' behavior, and at least one teacher who tried to report it. Being dismissive of sexual abuse enables it to happen, the lawyers said.
"There are known red flags, there are common situations you avoid. There are just common sense things that you just do not allow at schools because they are high-risk situations," DiCello said.
They say not making sure a report was made was both illegal and unethical.
Ottawa Hills Local Schools sent out a statement to parents and community members Tuesday regarding the expanded lawsuit. It can be read in full below:
Ottawa Hills Local Schools Parents and Community Members:
We are reaching out to you at this time in response to questions and concerns that have arisen regarding the filing of an amended complaint which includes unsubstantiated allegations against the District, as well as current and former employees.
The incidents at the center of this lawsuit first came to light in late 2019 when school administrators were informed by Lucas County Children Services and Ottawa Hills Police about the allegations against Ronald Stevens, who was immediately arrested. The District fully cooperated with the subsequent investigations conducted by those agencies and the Lucas County Prosecutor’s office, which led to the conviction of Ronald Stevens for his heinous acts against children.
The District prioritizes supporting all students and their families, including as they deal with the aftermath of these incidents, along with taking additional steps to prevent future harm.
"We want you to be aware that the District has enhanced safety and training to protect students, while also providing assistance to students and families as they navigate the impact and after effects for the broader community of the criminal harm to Mr. Stevens’ victims. These are some of the supportive and preventative measures the District has employed:
- Conducted parent and community forums with support by a professional counselor.
- Actively support “See Something/Say Something” through signage and student lessons.
- Added extra counseling support with the hiring of additional school counselors at both buildings and a full-time school psychologist and social worker to support staff and families.
- Fully implemented the Raptor visitor management check-in and screening system.
- Monitor students’ locations during the school day.
- Purchased updated security cameras for the interiors and exteriors of our school buildings which are monitored at the building and district level by multiple employees.
- Used school safety grants to provide additional safety training to teachers and staff.
- Bolstered current continuing education and training on mandatory reporting for all district employees.
Our thoughts continue to be with the students and their families. As the litigation continues, we will keep you updated and informed as best as we are able. Please understand that our ability to respond to questions about the lawsuit may be limited as we work with our legal counsel to address this matter through the court system.
The safety of our students remains a priority in our District and we will continue to look for ways to provide a safe and supportive environment for our students and families as we continue to heal. Community input is always welcome."
