The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted to rejected a hearing officer’s findings in an investigation into Cody Barlow, a former Wewoka Middle School principal who in 2023, was accused of inappropriately touching children and exhibiting “grooming behaviors.”
The situation led to a criminal case against Barlow and a lawsuit against him and the school district. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year for $1.95 million.
A federal magistrate judge in Muskogee approved equal tax-free payments to four boys for their personal physical injuries at the school. The first $1 million of the settlement is be paid by the Wewoka School District. The rest is to be paid out over three years from the school district’s sinking fund.
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In September, a jury in the Seminole County District Court found Barlow not guilty on all six felony counts of lewd or indecent acts and proposals to a child under 16.
The state board voted to remand the matter back to the hearing officer for reconsideration, and grant the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s request for continuance. The board did not comment on its rationale for making any of those decisions.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters, board of education reject Cody Barlow investigation