HAMILTON TWP., Ohio — After a basketball game in January, Little Miami’s athletic director says a confrontation with the district’s school board president left him feeling “harassed, intimidated and bullied,” according to documents obtained by WCPO 9.
A school spokesman declined to comment on the incident, but confirmed there was an investigation into the altercation and said officials were preparing more records to provide to the public.
The conflict appears to have started because of a rumor on social media about whether the district would withdraw from the Ohio High School Athletic Association. It’s something Athletic Director Matt Louis has strongly objected to in the past.
And something that has drawn big crowds at school board meetings.
Because of this, according to a complaint filed with the district’s human resources department, Louis says School Board President David Wallace approached him after the game while he was picking up chairs.
Wallace, who said he wants to remain in the high school association, believed Louis was the source of this rumor coming up again.
“You need to end it,” Louis recalled the board president saying.
He said Wallace grabbed his arm and pointed a finger in his face during their interaction, according to the complaint, filed two days after the game.
"These actions contributed to an environment that I believe constitutes a hostile and unsafe workplace," Louis said in the complaint.
We break down the AD's complaint in this video:
Wallace declined an interview request for this story, but said in an email that the athletic director’s version of events was only one side of the story. In fact, Wallace filed his own complaint to the district after the incident — calling it “bizarre” and saying Louis's complaint was made in “bad faith.”
The district finalized its investigation into the altercation this week.
In an interview with the district's investigators, Wallace denied making any threatening statements. He acknowledged touching Louis’s arm but said it was in a friendly manner.
The investigators, who reviewed video of the interaction, agreed.
"The evidence demonstrates that the interaction was tense, but that Mr. Wallace did not act in a threatening way toward Mr. Louis," an investigator wrote in the report.
Investigators also determined Louis was not the source of the social media rumor.
In its report, obtained through a school source, Louis told investigators he believed his contract was not renewed in January because of this incident. The athletic director declined an interview request for this story, but in a text message said that he stood by what he said in the complaint.
This is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the Warren County school district. Earlier this month, a different school board resigned over antisemitic posts on social media. The district’s board meetings have also become heated because of a decision to remove a classroom poster that appeared to reference the transgender pride flag.
In one special meeting, a board member even tried to get a police officer to escort Wallace out of the room. The school board meets at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The investigation is not on the agenda, but could be discussed in executive session.
