The Board of Education accepted the resignation of a Talawanda Middle School teacher accused of misconduct July 7 following months of investigation.

At its monthly meeting, the board voted to approve the resignation by a 5-0 vote. The decision followed an initial complaint made by a 12-year-old student in December 2021 of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior on the part of teacher Paul Stiver. This complaint triggered a Title IX investigation in accordance with federal law. At the time, Talawanda School District (TSD) placed Stiver on paid administrative leave. Police were contacted and a law enforcement investigation is ongoing.

As the investigation unfolded, two additional and former students of Talawanda submitted complaints against the same teacher. The investigation was amended to include the two additional complaints and then consolidated into one investigation. According to the District, this resulted in additional time required to complete the probe.

Talawanda School District released an official statement and timeline on the day of the vote concerning the allegations against the teacher and the resulting Title IX investigation.

According to the statement, in two of the three complaints, the decision maker found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Stiver engaged in misconduct in violation of Talawanda School Board policy. A report has been made to the Ohio Department of Education, which will now conduct its own investigation to determine the status of Stiver’s teaching license.