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Forest Hills School District put three employees on leave for inappropriate texts, emails

Posted at 1:04 PM, Oct 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-04 13:04:43-04

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The Forest Hills School District investigated three employees for inappropriate text messages and emails dating back to 2015.

In an announcement Monday, the district didn't say why Treasurer Rick Toepfer, Ray Johnson, the director of business operations, and Beth Brulport, an administrative assistant, were all placed on leave. 

But records reveal sexually-oriented messages, some of them explicit, sent from district email accounts and cellphones -- all apparently revealed by a spurned suitor.

A man named Stephen Harris contacted the district in June about Brulport and Johnson, claiming he was among the men Brulport texted during the work day.

In Brulport's case, there was a warning: In February 2016, director of student services Betsy Ryan asked her to cease multiple personal phone calls during the work day that were "simply inappropriate for the work place."

Then over the summer, she was suspended for the same reason as Johnson:  inappropriate non-work related email using district email accounts, network and computers. She was placed on leave again Sept. 25.

The district reprimanded Johnson and suspended him three days over the summer for inappropriate non-work related email using district email accounts, network and computers. Some of those were between him and Brulport; others were with a woman not working for the district.

Johnson submitted his resignation, with the intent of retiring, on Monday.

Records provided to WCPO from the district also show inappropriate texts involving Toepfer from 2015.

Forest Heis, the Forest Hills Board of Education president, said Monday the alleged "misconduct" didn't involve students.

"As always, Forest Hills staff will remain focused on providing a quality education for our students," Superintendent Scot T. Prebles said.