3 women accuse school district of covering up sexual harassment cases

By Nathan Vickers

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    OLATHE, Kansas (KCTV) — Three women have accused an Olathe Public Schools administrator of repeated sexual harassment. They also claim the district tried to cover up the incidents.

According to documents provided to KCTV5, the administrator is Rich Wilson, the Director of Curriculum Assessment.

Mark Dugan, an attorney for one of the women, provided a report conducted by district after his client complained about inappropriate comments, actions and touching.

His client wished to remain anonymous. Dugan said she was also administrator, an employee of the district for 18 years.

The report, an investigation conducted by a third party, acknowledges a series of incidents dating back to October 2019. Among the complaints, the employee said Wilson had repeatedly referred to her as his “work wife,” had stared at her in a way that made her uncomfortable and had touched her thigh.

“He had made her uncomfortable in a number of situations,” Dugan said. “She filed a complaint with the district, then a Title IX complaint. The district engaged in an investigation but there was not much done.”

The report called Wilson’s actions “inappropriate,” but concluded that they did not qualify as harassment or discrimination.

Following the investigation, Dugan said Olathe Public Schools retaliated against his client by eliminating her position. Another document he provided shows a separation package offered by the district. The offer included nearly $200,000 in compensation as well as a confidentiality agreement.

“It’s easy and tempting for an employer like this district to believe the harasser when they deny what they’ve done,” Dugan said. “But, when multiple women say the same thing about the same person the district needs to stand up and take note. When they don’t do that, they need to be called to task.”

Olathe Public Schools would not address any specific information about Wilson or accusations against him. A district spokesperson said the district had followed board policies while investigating the complaints.

The district also sent the following statement to KCTV5:

“We acknowledge and respect that situations involving misconduct carry with them individual experiences, perspectives and concerns. We never want to belittle or diminish anyone’s individual experiences or concerns. However, we feel we owe it to our community to share what we are able regarding the referenced situation and to assure them of our core values as a school district and education system.

Although we will not provide specific information out of respect for the privacy of those involved, we can share the following:

Olathe Public Schools takes any and all allegations of staff misconduct very seriously and we have processes and procedures in place to investigate and address them in accordance with our board policies, state and federal laws. Our focus is and always will be to ensure our staff feel safe and supported at work. We are committed to providing every staff member due process. As such, the referenced situation was thoroughly investigated both internally and externally, above and beyond what is required by law and our board policies. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the integrity of our organization and the core values of the Olathe Public Schools.”

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