Harmful Coaching Part 5 - Ed Unions Defend Coach Turned Shawnee Supt Facing ANOTHER 2000s Student Sex Abuse Allegation as Details of 2019 Scandal Surface
Did Cleveland PS School Board Hide Ongoing Pattern of Misconduct by Passing the Admin-Trash?
From Harmful Coach to Superintendent, Shawnee’s Top Administrator Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Past Students
Education Union Attorneys Fight State Board of Ed to Keep Dr. Espolt’s Certifications Intact Despite Growing Number of Allegations
2017 Legislation Made Espolt’s Alleged Crimes UnProsecutable Yet OEA Lawyers Claim Lack of Conviction Represents Proof of Innocence
Another Former Apache HS Student Accuses Espolt of Sexual Misconduct, Confirms Longstanding Coach Connection Responsible for 2019 Scandal at Cleveland PS
New Internal Whistleblowers from Cleveland PS Reveal Details of Supt Espolt’s Behavior, Hiring of Coach Friends & 2019 Mid-Year Exit
From Harmful Coach to Superintendent, Shawnee’s Top Administrator Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Past Students
V1SUT’s investigative series Harmful Coaching began with reports of sexual abuse perpetrated upon female students by a group of teacher/coaches at Little Axe Public Schools during the late 1990s and early 2000s (see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4).
Repeatedly, the accused coaches were allowed to quietly step down from Little Axe PS following reports of abuse and take positions at other school districts, a dangerous administrative strategy for avoiding scandal known commonly as passing the trash. As a result of the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s (OSDE) investigation into the allegations, two teacher/coaches, Michael Allen and Shawn Finch, recently surrendered their teaching certifications.
Whistleblowers have continued to come forward as the series has progressed. Part 4 included statements and reports from multiple former students involving Shawnee PS superintendent Dr. Aaron Espolt, also a former Little Axe coach. Espolt, who previously sent a cease and desist demand letter to this outlet, has been directly accused of having groomed and/or engaged in sexual contact with multiple, underage girls while at Little Axe PS.
In 2004, Espolt left Little Axe following a report of sexual misconduct concerning a then sophomore student and was immediately hired by Boone-Apache PS where further allegations have been similarly reported concerning multiple, additional, female students.
Supt Dr. Aaron Espolt, from Shawnee PS district administration webpage.
Espolt then worked for Edmond PS (2006-2008) and Luther PS (2008-2011), later becoming a principal then superintendent at Olive PS (2011-2014) and superintendent at Cleveland PS (2014-2019). After a short stop at the OSDE, Espolt became assistant then head superintendent for Shawnee PS.
Education Union Attorneys Fight OSDE to Keep Espolt’s Certifications Intact Despite Growing Number of Allegations
Unlike Allen and Finch, Superintendent Espolt is being aggressively defended through support from the state’s largest education unions.
During August, the OSDE informed Espolt it was conducting an investigation concerning his conduct and certification. On August 25th, the Shawnee Board of Education placed Espolt on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Shawnee Board of Ed President Clif Harden’s communication to parents.
Espolt has denied all allegations concerning himself or knowledge of other sexual misconduct concerning any former student/s and has been provided legal representation through White and Weddle, P.C. related to the OSDE investigation. White and Weddle is the longtime manager of the Personal Legal Services Program for the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA).
From White and Weddle website, services for OEA educator/members accused of “crimes like statutory rape or assault”:
The OEA is the state’s largest teacher’s union and an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). The OEA’s stated mission closely mirrors that of the NEA which is now led by President Becky Pringle.
Espolt is also an active member of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA), which lists “legal fee reimbursement” as a provided benefit for members. CCOSA is the umbrella non-profit that encompasses several educator associations, including the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA).
Espolt currently serves on OASA’s Executive Committee and is one of two state officers for the governing board of the national AASA (formerly American Association of School Administrators, now known as School Superintendents Association).
Current OASA Executive Board & National AASA Representatives
The posted agenda for the regular monthly meeting of the State Board of Education (September 26, 2024) showed the board was slated to consider suspending and moving forward to revoke Espolt’s educator certifications.
From OK State Board of Ed’s September 26, 2024 agenda.
Per the reported terms of Espolt’s contract with Shawnee PS, a suspension of his credentials would result in his immediate termination and the loss of the salary he continues to receive while on administrative leave pending the OSDE’s findings. Espolt is currently paid a total annual compensation of $191,284 by Shawnee PS.
On the eve of the State Board of Education meeting, White and Weddle filed an emergency petition for a restraining order and injunction in Oklahoma County District Court on behalf of Espolt.
The petition claimed Espolt “has already suffered and will continue to suffer immediate and irreparable injury, loss and damage” and requested an order “prohibiting the entering of an emergency suspension” of Espolt’s certification, “mandating Plaintiff’s teaching certificate remain valid pending proper hearing” and requesting “such Orders remain in effect until such time as a hearing is held”.
Though no order was then or has since been executed preventing the suspension, the State Board voted to continue the process toward revoking Espolt’s certifications by referring the case to a hearing officer and stopped short of enacting an emergency suspension. Given the district’s removal of Espolt from his duties, the State Board stated it would revisit a potential suspension should Shawnee PS reinstate Espolt prior to the conclusion of the hearing process.
2017 Legislation Made Espolt’s Alleged Crimes UnProsecutable Yet OEA Lawyers Claim Lack of Conviction Represents Proof of Innocence
Within the petition filed on behalf of Espolt, OEA contracted attorneys Joe E. White, Jr., Charles C. Weddle III, and Kate C. White argue Espolt has not been charged or convicted of a crime and should therefore not be subject to a suspension of his certifications by the OSDE. According to the petition, “Plaintiff (Espolt) is not convicted. Plaintiff is not charged with a crime. Law Enforcement has not contacted Plaintiff and, upon information and belief, is not investigating.”
The argument is void of context and accuracy concerning state statutes. In 2017, the Oklahoma State Legislature passed revisions to the statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse crimes, both inside and outside of schools. The new laws extended the date to report and take action, both criminally (Title 22 § 152) and civilly (Title 12 § 95), up to the 45th birthday of the victim. Unfortunately, these changes to the law were not made retroactive and those abused prior to 2017 are largely left without a path to justice.
Under current law, Espolt cannot be arrested or convicted by the state for the alleged crimes involved in the OSDE’s investigation since the reported abuse happened prior to 2017. To argue his lack of conviction is evidence of his innocence is both inaccurate and disingenuous.
Another Former Apache HS Student Accuses Espolt of Sexual Misconduct, Confirms Longstanding Coach Connection Responsible for 2019 Scandal at Cleveland PS
Since the State Board of Ed’s September meeting, an additional, female, former student has come forward to report having been groomed into a sexual relationship with then Boone-Apache PS teacher/coach Aaron Espolt during the mid-2000s. OSDE records confirm Espolt worked for that district during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years.
This outlet can confirm, in addition to multiple reports by Little Axe HS alumni, this new accuser is among multiple, other, former Apache High School students to recently come forward concerning Espolt.
This most recent accuser reports Espolt began pursuing her during her sophomore year. The now woman is not ready to publicly tell her entire story but this outlet can confirm she was recently interviewed by the OSDE’s investigative team.
The former student has also confirmed Espolt’s place of residence at the time of the alleged abuse as being in nearby Ft. Cobb and reports Michael Allen as then temporarily living with Espolt at that house after “he had just got into some trouble at Hinton public schools”. This outlet previously reported Allen stepped down at Hinton PS during 2005. Allen reportedly impregnating and later married Sarah Chalfante, the student involved in the accusation prompting Allen’s exit from the Hinton district.
Three months after the reported rape of Ashley Terrell, Michael Allen resigned from Little Axe PS (2002) and took a similar teaching/coaching job at Hinton PS. He married his second wife, a 1996 graduate and exceptional basketball player from Burns Flat-Dill City Schools, had a child with her in 2004, and is reported to have started a sexual relationship with student Sarah Chalfant (then 16), a Hinton high school basketball player at the time. Chalfant was only a junior when Allen quietly stepped down at Hinton in 2005, and became pregnant in 2006 while Allen was still married.
Multiple, additional, former Little Axe students have since reported being sexually abused by Allen. Both the Little Axe and Hinton districts failed to report known sexual crimes against students to law enforcement leaving Allen free to move on to teach elsewhere.
The OSDE’s recent investigations into the former coaches of Little Axe are largely based upon statements collected by Ashley Rolen, a former Little Axe student who reported being drugged and raped by Allen to both Little Axe PS administration in 2002 and the OSDE in 2020. Espolt, after being questioned in 2021 by the OSDE concerning Rolen’s submitted statements, phoned Rolen directly. From previous reporting:
It was at the OSDE that Espolt learned Rolen was investigating Little Axe coach crimes of the past. After reportedly being questioned by OSDE legal counsel concerning Rolen’s submissions, Espolt obtained Rolen’s phone number from a third party and contacted her. Within that recorded phone conversation (July 12th, 2021), and in response to Rolen’s accusation of rape against Allen, Espolt stated, “I’m not doubting anything you say…I just don’t want to be involved in it.”
Espolt’s connection with Allen continued as he moved from teaching to public school administration. After Espolt became superintendent at Cleveland PS, both Allen and his wife Sarah (Chalfante) Allen were hired by the district in 2016. Michael Allen taught and coached girls softball while Sarah Allen served as a speech pathologist. Espolt and Sarah Allen both stepped down from Cleveland PS in December of 2019, though the media reported few details at the time.
According to News8 (KTUL Tulsa), “Espolt wouldn’t discuss (Sarah) Allen’s resignation, and a school attorney wouldn’t say if the two are connected in some way.”
Now, in the wake of the current accusations against Espolt, former and current Cleveland PS educators and constituents are speaking out about Espolt’s time in Cleveland and an alleged, ongoing pattern of misconduct reaching beyond his younger years.
New Internal Whistleblowers from Cleveland PS Reveal Details of Supt Espolt’s Behavior, Hiring of Coach Friends & 2019 Mid-Year Exit
From Cleveland HS Class of 2016 yearbook (classmates.com)
As reported in Part 4, a constituent’s letter to the Cleveland Board of Education on behalf of a group of parents describes a stream of concerning incidents and actions involving both then superintendent Espolt and coach/teacher Michael Allen. The letter includes reports of public drunkenness, student and staff mistreatment, public bullying of a coach and his teacher wife by Espolt’s wife and co-teachers, and concerns about Espolt’s hiring of his “best friend” and “best man” Michael Allen despite Allen’s history of student sexual abuse.
This outlet recently and separately interviewed multiple educators who worked with Espolt and Allen at Cleveland PS. One continues to teach in the district. Each corroborated many of the letter’s claims and provided further reports of concern and details surrounding Espolt’s departure from the district. According to these inside sources:
Public Intoxication Involving Espolt and Allen - Multiple sources corroborate claims within the letter to the school board indicating Allen and Espolt were observed to be heavily intoxicated in public on multiple occasions in and around the Cleveland community. In addition, one whistleblower corroborated that Espolt was once found passed out in the driveway of a Cleveland PS teacher’s home and returned to his own house.
Public Bullying of Coach Daniel Brimmer - It is reported Liz Espolt, wife of then Superintendent Espolt, Sarah Allen and a group of other, female Cleveland PS teachers produced, publicly wore and attempted to distribute t-shirts that mocked Cleveland PS basketball coach Daniel Brimmer’s application for the district’s athletic director (AD) position. The shirt also displayed what multiple sources describe as a vulgar sexual reference fused with Brimmer’s last name (#BrimJob).
Sources inform Espolt expressed his desire to divide the AD position between Allen and principal/coach Erron Kauk, another longtime coaching acquaintance hired by Espolt. Kauk is reported to have been the third coach in a Padres Island (TX) hotel room prior to the reported rape of then Little Axe student Ashley Rolen by Michael Allen in 2002 (see previous reporting). Kauk previously hired Allen (2012) to coach HS girls softball at Frontier PS in Red Rock, OK. Allen left Frontier in May of 2014 following a scandal (see previous reporting) though Kauk continued coaching alongside Allen after his dismissal. Kauk is now the superintendent at Frontier PS and this outlet has no knowledge of any direct allegations of misconduct concerning Kauk.
Sept 2014, Erron Kauk (L) & Michael Allen (R), publicly available on Facebook.
It is reported Superintendent Espolt, in contradiction to Cleveland PS policy concerning teacher conduct, refused to investigate the potential misconduct by his wife, Sarah Allen and other district employees because the shirts were worn at the local casino and not on school property. When Kaylee Brimmer, the coach’s wife and then an educator for the district, attempted to speak about the incident during the public comment portion of a Cleveland PS Board of Education meeting, it is reported an attorney for the district forbid her from naming the women involved. Similarly, when a then school board member attempted to apologize to the Brimmer’s on behalf of the district during the same meeting, the attorney reportedly silenced the board member.
In what sources believe was an attempt to avoid the need for school board approval, Espolt is reported to have used stipends to appoint Allen and Kauk as co-ADs. Despite applying and being a Cleveland native and successful boys basketball coach for the district, Brimmer was reportedly never interviewed for the position. Brimmer’s wife resigned from the district’s employment following the t-shirt incident. After significant community support was displayed for the Brimmers, middle school teachers Karin Brisbin and Suzanne Stowe were reported to have been placed on plans of improvement for their involvement in creating the t-shirts. Neither Liz Espolt nor Sarah Allen appear to have been disciplined by the district for their alleged actions.
Espolt Coaches & Injures Female HS Basketball Player - Cleveland staff also inform Espolt fired HS girls basketball coach Kayla Allen (no relation to Michael Allen) during the 2017-18 season, and instead of posting the open position, chose to coach the girls himself, a role he appears to have been paid a stipend for on top of his then $103,376 superintendent’s base salary.
Supt Espolt’s 2017-18 compensation. From OSDE’s salary report for certified educators.
A Cleveland High School teacher reports Espolt, during halftime of a game, lost his temper in the girls’ locker room injuring a player. According to the teacher, “There was a heavily hidden secretive incident of him (Espolt) getting angry in the locker room, throwing something at the white board and a magnet came flying off hitting and leaving a mark near a girl’s eye.”
Another staff member states that following the locker room incident, Espolt stepped down as head coach and fired the team’s assistant coach who was prevented from speaking before the district’s board about the incident. Espolt then placed the team of girls in the hands of Coaches Allen and Kauk.
According to the educator, “He (Espolt) automatically resigned from the position (coaching) and he then assigns, I mean we're talking like maybe five games left of the season and we're talking like playoffs and not that many games left, he then gives the position to Mike Allen and Erron Kauk to finish out the season instead of posting the job.”
Social media posts on a Cleveland community Facebook page suggest more widespread awareness of both Espolt’s alleged loss of control in the girls locker room (2018) and the rumored affair that precipitated his resignation at Cleveland PS (2019):
Dec 2019 comment on “In the Know Cleveland Oklahoma” Facebook page.
Espolt’s Exit from Cleveland PS - In December of 2019, multiple sources report the Espolts hosted a Christmas party at their home in Cleveland. District school board members, administrators and teachers were in attendance including Michael and Sarah Allen. It is now reported by multiple Cleveland staff members that Espolt sent a text to Sarah Allen during the party that was intercepted by her husband.
According to one source, “The Espolts had a Christmas party at their house and invited all the school board members. Well, Sarah had left her phone laying around and Espolt sent her a text, then her husband Mike Allen picks up the phone to look at the text. He's like that's weird, why would you text her if she's in the same house?”
The text stream is said to have revealed an ongoing affair between Espolt and Allen. An altercation is reported to have occurred causing board members, the Allens and others to leave the home. The educator added, “Liz (Espolt) ends up going over to the Allen’s house, Mike and Sarah Allen's house. No one will answer the door so she immediately starts hitting and kicking the door, breaks her wrist or arm or something on her right side. The next morning she's in a full blown like splint/cast thing and she's at school.”
The educator’s recounting of events at the Christmas party was corroborated by a second source. Espolt, who was then annually earning $165K in total compensation, did not return to school and is reported to have started negotiating a severance package with the school board.
The board, within a special meeting on December 12, 2019, accepted Sarah Allen’s resignation but tabled Espolt’s termination.
Cleveland PS Board of Ed agenda, Dec 12, 2019.
The Cleveland PS Board of Education eventually accepted Espolt’s resignation, disclosed nothing concerning any behind-the-scenes negotiations, and offered no correction of Espolt’s publicly stated reasons for resigning from the district as reported by the media.
From Espolt’s email response to News2, publicly available.
It appears the Cleveland PS Board of Education, in neglecting to terminate Espolt’s employment, may have paid to enable Espolt to move on to another, uninformed district without the stain of a termination on his resume.
Cleveland PS Board of Ed, Dec 12, 2019 (credit News2)
Then contracted Cleveland PS attorney Bryan Drummon (recently deceased) of the law firm Rosenstein, Fist & Ringold provided no explanation of the board’s decisions. According to the firm’s website, Rosenstein, Fist & Ringold regularly represents school districts and education-related insurance companies with “litigation related education law services”. Taxpayers foot the bills.
State Supt Joy Hofmeister Hires Espolt at OSDE Following Scandal
Despite the cloud of scandal surrounding Espolt’s departure from Cleveland PS, in March of 2020, Espolt was hired by Hofmeister’s OSDE as Executive Director of School Design and Innovation. The newly created position was among the highest level titles within the agency. Despite coming from an underperforming district, Espolt co-authored an equity focused blueprint entitled Reimagining Excellence which purported to increase academic outcomes and school safety through social and emotional learning (SEL) and leadership.
During his short time at the OSDE under Hofmeister’s supervision, Espolt enhanced his resume by completing the AASA’s National Superintendent Certification Program. The 20-month program involves a $6,000 fee, travel and lodging expenses for trips to four convenings and a Capstone Project. It is unknown if the OSDE or Cleveland PS covered any related costs or if the Reimaging Excellence manual Espolt was tasked by the OSDE to co-author was also the Capstone Project required to gain his National Superintendent’s Certification.
Why would Hofmeister salvage and elevate the career of a scandal-ridden administrator? Who connected the two and for what purpose? How and why did Espolt end up in the top job at Shawnee PS? Is public education failing upward?
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