SHAWNEE — Shawnee Public Schools officials reportedly allowed numerous, documented allegations of sexual misconduct made against a Shawnee High School coach and assistant athletic director to pile up before taking steps to remove the coach from the school. The allegations ultimately led to the coach’s arrest for soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology.
Ronald Gene Arthur, 52, was arrested by Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s deputies July 24, 2021, after allegations of sexual assault were levied against him days earlier by a then-17-year-old former student. Upon further investigation into the matter, PCSO Deputy Amber Soule reported finding “8 admonishments and suspensions of Ronald Arthur for his vulgar and sexual comments to male students and vulgar comments about female students, allegations of having inappropriately touched a male’s buttocks, sending inappropriate text messages to students and having contact with students alone when he was not allowed to per his previous reinstatements,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed Aug. 11, 2021, in Pottawatomie County District Court.
Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace issued a public statement Aug. 19, 2021, regarding Arthur’s arrest, in which she took issue with the release of the information regarding Arthur’s prior bad acts.
“Unfortunately, some of the information shared publicly from Mr. Arthur’s employment record by the sheriff's department was shared without contacting the district for assistance in understanding the content,” Grace wrote.
The arrest and subsequent charges have spawned a civil lawsuit filed against Arthur and Shawnee Public Schools, alleging the school district was aware of Arthur’s ongoing misconduct and allowed the behavior to continue.
Records indicate reports of Arthur’s misconduct date back to 2007.
Grace, who is currently running against Ryan Walters in the Aug. 23, 2022, Republican Primary Election for Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, has defended her handling of the matter as SPS superintendent.
“…[T]ransparency in the case of personnel matters is difficult,” Grace wrote in the lengthy public statement. “While we would welcome the opportunity to provide an in-depth response to the allegations and insinuations that there is wrongdoing at the district level, we cannot comment on the specifics as it is against the law.”
In the statement, Grace said the district has and will continue to cooperate with any criminal investigation. She also implied the district’s hands were tied by law regarding the information they could make public and the steps they could take to curtail Arthur’s behavior.
“Shawnee Public Schools fully supports the legal due process afforded to anyone accused of inappropriate behavior with minors and the punishment enforced through the courts,” Grace wrote. “We do not tolerate the behavior that is alleged and have acted swiftly to provide documents and full cooperation and will continue to do so throughout the investigation.”