Dawson returned to the classroom on Monday after the district’s board of education suspended him for three days without pay, according to Mark Manley, the district’s administrative specialist.
Dawson teaches English and had coached for the high school prior to the investigation, which started last month.
“Mr. Dawson will not be returning to his position as assistant football coach,” Manley said.
Dawson could not be reached Monday for comment.
On Monday, the district released a statement to this newspaper that read, “Xenia administrators received parent complaints alleging nonprofessional relationships existed between a Xenia teacher/coach and Xenia students which crossed the professional teacher-student boundary.”
In a letter dated Aug. 8, Manley told Dawson that he would be on administrative leave from his role as an Assistant Football Coach until further notice. Dawson was also told not to have any contact with any Xenia High School students.
The district’s investigation resulted in Ted Holop, high school principal, contacting police on Aug. 19 about Dawson.
The police investigation resulted in no criminal charges being filed against Dawson.
The district’s Monday statement said that the board determined that Dawson’s conduct was unacceptable, unprofessional and in violation of board policy and “as a result, the Board of Education suspended the employee for three days without pay and the employee shall return to his classroom on Sept. 8.”
Dawson’s suspension came after he was placed on paid administrative leave.
The school district hired Dawson in 2006, according to his personnel file.
Last month, Dawson’s LinkedIn account had him listed as a varsity football coach and head wrestling coach. This newspaper checked his account on Monday and discovered that those titles had been removed.
About the Author