MACEDONIA, Ohio — Nordonia Hills City School District Superintendent Joe Clark issued a statement after Clark reported that on Tuesday, Dec. 6, an allegation was brought to his attention by the high school administration regarding photos and statements sent via social media from a non-teaching staff member to a Nordonia High School student.
Clark reported that during an investigation meeting on Tuesday, the staff member resigned from his employment, effective immediately. The staff member has not yet been identified or charged in the case, which is being investigated by the Macedonia Police Department and the Ohio Department of Education.
Clark issued the following statement to Nordonia families:
Dear Nordonia Families,
The Nordonia Hills City School District holds student and staff safety as its highest priority.
On Tuesday, December 6, an allegation was brought to my attention by the high school administration regarding photos and statements sent via social media from a non-teaching staff member to a Nordonia High School student. This employee worked as a part-time high school paraprofessional (Aide) since October 2022 and coached freshman baseball last spring and freshman football this fall. In accordance with Nordonia Hills City Schools Board of Education policies, the administration began an investigation and reported the allegations to the Macedonia Police Department and the Ohio Department of Education. At an investigation meeting on Tuesday, the staff member resigned from his employment, effective immediately. The school district will continue to work in cooperation with the Macedonia Police Department and the Ohio Department of Education regarding the situation. The administration and staff will also continue to provide support for the student involved and anyone else affected by these circumstances.
Creating a safe environment for our students is our top priority, and the Nordonia Hills City School District has high expectations for staff members’ conduct. We are grateful to the individual who brought the concerns to our attention, and we encourage all students, families, and community members to always share any concerns with a staff member, administrator, or utilize our anonymous Safer Ohio Tipline via text or call at 1-844-SaferOH (1-844-723-3764).
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Nordonia Schools.
Some Nordonia Hills parents like Diane Bretz, who has two sons that recently graduated from the district, said the incident has them concerned about the district vetting and hiring process of teaching and non-teaching employees.
“It’s very concerning our kids should not be afraid to go to school," Bretz said. “These kids should not have to put up with this, the parents should not have to find out about these things on Facebook first, the school board need to be a little more transparent.”
Bretz added that the hiring process should be done in-depth.
"The vetting of the staff members especially needs to be I think a little more in-depth. They definitely need to take some time, look at people, really interview them, really talk with people that know them, so that this hopefully can be avoided in the future," she added.
