SHELBY COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) — Collins High School boys basketball coach Chris Gaither has been placed on paid administrative leave for the second time this season following public allegations from a former student who says she was groomed by him for years and persuaded to have sex.
Multiple women addressed the Shelby County Board of Education on Thursday, alleging Shelby County Public Schools has a longstanding pattern of grooming and a failure to protect students.
In a letter shared publicly, Hayley Murphy Weedle alleges Gaither groomed her for two years while she was a student at Collins High School. Weedle said the behavior began in 2012, when she was 17 years old and working as a student manager for the boys basketball team Gaither coached.
In the letter, Weedle writes that Gaither frequently pulled her out of class, texted her outside of school and basketball activities and asked questions about her sexual history.
She also alleges that in 2014, while Gaither’s wife was on a mission trip and Weedle was babysitting his children, Gaither kissed her. Weedle said that weeks after her graduation, he persuaded her to have sex.
Gaither was first suspended in November, before Weedle made her allegations public. Weedle said the district contacted her on Nov. 18 after her name was reported in connection with Gaither. However, she said Gaither was reinstated before she was able to provide a written statement.
Weedle said she submitted a detailed letter to the district on Dec. 4 outlining the alleged abuse and recorded a meeting with school officials the same day.
“Is anything consensual when you’re a child?” a district official can be heard asking Weedle during that meeting.
According to Weedle, Gaither coached a game later that night. The district said the investigation was reopened on Dec. 5 after new information was received.
During a heated Shelby County school board meeting Thursday, multiple women came forward alleging they were also groomed while students in the district and that officials failed to intervene.
“I can no longer stay quiet,” said Hannah Ross, who told board members she was groomed by a teacher approximately 25 years ago. Ross said she was 14 years old when she met the teacher, who she said was 36 at the time.
Ross alleged the teacher bought her a secret cell phone, booked hotel rooms and that she experienced pregnancy scares.
“He picked me up from my family home and took me out of state to marry me,” Ross said. “That girl was me.”
Ross said nearly everyone in the school system knew about the relationship, but failed to protect her.
Another former student, Laura Wills Coppelman, referenced a public letter she wrote several years ago, alleging inappropriate attention from a staff member and a lack of protection from the district.
“Secrecy is what allows abuse to thrive,” Coppelman told the board.
Several speakers said they were addressing the board to end what they described as "a culture that allows abuse to continue within Shelby County Public Schools."
District officials addressed the crowd during the meeting, saying "we will be transparent, we have a duty to report," prompting audible skepticism from some attendees.
In a statement to WDRB, Shelby County Public Schools said Gaither remains on paid administrative leave and that the investigation is ongoing.
“We can confirm that Chris Gaither is currently on paid administrative leave and that the investigation remains ongoing,” the statement said. “As this is a personnel matter, the district is limited in the information it can share. The investigation was reopened on Dec. 5 after new information was received, with additional information provided throughout the week leading up to the leave decision. The district has shared, and will continue to share, all statements and evidence with legal counsel and will follow their guidance. The district has also met its legal duty to report, which was addressed early in the process. We have no further comment at this time.”
WDRB also reached out to all Shelby County Board of Education members for comment.
At the time of this article's publication, only one board member provided a statement.
"Sorry, this is an ongoing investigation and the Board, by statute, does not have jurisdiction over personnel matters and cannot comment on personnel matters," board member Andrew Cline wrote. "As an elected school board member, I can not and will not give personal opinions that would risk breaking the law or the oath I took. I have heard the community’s concerns and will continue to allow the proper authorities to complete the investigation."
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