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IA Educator’s Board files ethics charges against Treynor Superintendent

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December 19th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

An ethics complaint filed against the superintendent of the Treynor Community School District has prompted two charges in an administrative law court seeking professional disciplinary action. According to the Daily NonPareil, Superintendent Kevin Elwood is accused of allowing the Treynor school district to hire a custodian in the summer of 2013 who Elwood allegedly was aware had sexually assaulted a student.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners has charged Elwood with two counts of unethical practice. In a notice issued Nov. 4, the board alleges “Person A” sexually assaulted a Treynor student on or after May 21, 2013. The notice goes on to allege “Person A” was hired as a custodian under Elwood’s “consent and authority” and worked through July 16, 2013. The Board says Elwood failed to appropriately respond to similar allegations in the past. Based on the document from the IBOEE, it is not apparent that “Person A” refers to any of the publicly known claims of sexual assault investigated in Treynor.

A hearing is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, 2015, in Des Moines before Administrative Law Judge Laura Lockard. To avoid the hearing, Elwood has the option to surrender his professional license or negotiate a settlement agreement. Lockard is responsible for drafting a decision that would then go before the IBOEE for review and a final determination whether an ethical violation occurred and, if it has, what disciplinary sanction is appropriate.

Kim Cunningham, the IBOEE secretary, said Thursday that the Nov. 4 notice was the only document available for public inspection related to Elwood’s case. A complaint, which was not disclosed but was referenced in the hearing notice, was received Jan. 15, 2014, by the IBOEE. The notice also indicates Elwood had to file a response to the charges by late November.

Following an investigation, the board members determined probable cause to proceed with a hearing at its June 14 meeting. Minutes from the meeting show the decision was unanimous. At the hearing, Elwood will face accusations of violating two standards for ethical conduct “toward other members of the profession, parents, students and the community” as outlined in Iowa Administrative Code.

The investigation into Elwood’s alleged inaction is not the first case involving sexual assault allegations in the Treynor Community School District this year. Treynor made headlines in January after Elwood’s son, Kreighton Elwood, was accused of sexually assaulting several girls in 2012. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges and has to register as a sex offender for the next decade. The case involving his son prompted an online petition demanding Kevin Elwood’s immediate resignation. At the time, the petitioners said the superintendent did not properly investigate reports of alleged sexual abuse and harassment in the school district.

Another case came to light in May when Michael Travis, a Treynor teacher and assistant softball coach, was accused of inappropriately touching two softball players during separate incidents in 2002 and 2006. Additional charges against Travis were filed this week. He now faces two counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee related to new alleged victims from 2004 and 2005 as well as two similar counts from the original criminal complaint. Travis has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 27. He has not had a preliminary hearing on the new charges.