State Board Of Education Places Ninnekah Public Schools On Probation, Suspends 3 Administrators' Certifications

The state board of education voted unanimously to put Ninnekah Public Schools on probation. 

This came after the girls' high school basketball coach Ronald Gene Akins was charged in June. He is accused of sexually abusing several girls.

A total of 18 girls have now come forward in a separate lawsuit alleging harassment and abuse while on the team. 

The board said they wants to see the district take their Title IX policies seriously while on probation. 

Evidence presented on Thursday by the state’s legal counsel showed that key administrators did not have good control over Title IX reporting policies. 

Superintendent Todd Bunch, high school principal David Pitts, and assistant girls' coach Charles Yackeyeonny -- who was the Title IX coordinator for the district for years -- all had their teaching certifications suspended in a unanimous vote. 

The new Title IX coordinator, Regina Jones, spoke about the changes the district has already made. 

"On our school website, we have access to all of this information; our board policy, a student statement form, if they wanted to print that off of the website instead of coming into the offices, they could do that as well,” said Jones. 

Jones said educators have also already undergone trainings as another step toward a safer school environment in Ninnekah.