Centerville Schools employee agrees to resign following investigation
Feb. 3—CENTERVILLE — A staff member in the Centerville Community School District has reached an agreement to resign following an internal investigation and review by the district.
The Centerville School Board accepted the resignation agreement of Ryan Hodges, a counselor and head baseball coach at Centerville High School, on Friday. The district will formally vote to accept his resignation at their next regular meeting on Feb. 13.
Details of the settlement agreement were not made public before the board's vote and were not immediately available. The Courier has filed a public records request for information, as well as other information relating to the investigation.
Hodges was one of two staff members placed on paid administrative leave in November. A statement released by the district at the time said one staff member was placed on administrative leave due to allegations of inappropriate behavior with a minor, while a second staff member was placed on administrative leave based on allegations made against them that were "of a personal nature involving an adult who does not work for the district" that were not school-related but occurred on district time.
At the time, district officials did not name either of the individuals involved but confirmed Hodges and Matthew Kruzich had both been placed on paid administrative leave. They would not say which allegation applied to which employee.
On Wednesday, Superintendent Mark Taylor wrote via email that Hodges was "still pending investigation and review" by the district, and that there was "nothing new to report regarding that matter." He also confirmed Kruzich has returned to work.
Emily Hawk is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. She can be reached at ehawk@ottumwacourier.com.
