OCONTO FALLS – A federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the Oconto Falls Board of Education has been amended to include two additional plaintiffs as well as information presented by two educators and additional victims.
The original lawsuit was filed by Disparti Law Group on March 11, followed by the announcement of the amended complaint being released on March 18.
The original three plaintiffs — Amanda, Brooke and Grace — have been joined by former students Brianna and Kayla.
According to “Appendix A — Pattern of abuse,” Kayla allegedly encountered “repeated unwanted physical contact,” “sexual comments,” “sexualized quid pro quo” and “sex-based favoritism” from two unnamed teachers between 2009 - 2011.
The complaint went on to explain, “As she learned the full scope of what had been happening across multiple teachers and over many years at Oconto Falls High School, [Kayla] came to understand that she needed to speak up — both for herself and to make clear to others that it was safe to come forward.”
According to a “sworn declaration” from Alexis, the board had knowledge of a “student-on-student sexual assault during [an] off-campus cheer team sleepover” that occured in October 2013, but did not carry out an investigation.
Similarly, Amara provided information alleging that staff members — who were mandated reporters — did not escalate complaints or concerns that were voiced to them.
Madison spoke about an off-campus incident that allegedly occurred in 2017 - 2018 involving Gayle Gander — a former teacher currently awaiting arraignment on a variety of charges, including sexual misconduct.
In addition to other former students — identified only by initials — that provided information regarding their personal experiences with sexual, verbal and/or physical misconduct, two former educators added to the complaint that escalations were not treated properly.
According to “Appendix B — Actual notice timeline,” teachers Tania, Bridget and a woman identified by her initials reported sexual harassment they experienced from a male teacher and the harrassment they saw him engage in towards a student between 2012 - 2015.
The male teacher was named in the legal complaint, but no charges have been filed against him directly.
The complaint went on to allege that the sexual harassment was reported to those in leadership positions and “ultimately, to the board of education directly in [a] June 2015 closed session with a substantial packet of documentary evidence.”
The former educators said that a school leader “suppressed evidence from reaching [the] board” and “threatened complainants with job loss.”
The document stated that the result of this was the “retaliatory nonrenewal of [Bridget]; all complaining teachers left the district; female students and staff in the district remained unprotected.”
The specifics of this case were summarized in the introduction, “It was not until 2025 and 2026 that the plaintiffs [...] learned the full scope of what had been happening, and that the board’s choices had made it possible. Witnesses [...] came forward, each with their own account of a system that protected perpetrators and silenced victims.
“Together, their stories form a 20-year pattern that was entirely within the board’s control and wholly hidden from those it harmed. This action, now timely brought, seeks to hold the board accountable for what it chose to enable,” the complaint continued.
The lawsuit now lists five counts against the board for violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and one count for violating the 14th Amendment. In addition to compensatory damages, the plaintiffs also drafted a proposed Chapter 120A of the Wisconsin Statutes “Wisconsin Students’ Bill of Rights.”
The proposed legislation would serve to “protect public school students from sexual grooming, harassment and abuse by school employees, and to eliminate institutional cultures of deliberate indifference that have enabled abuse to go unaddressed,” the draft stated.
With this, “Students’ Enumerated Rights” would ensure “every student enrolled in a Wisconsin public school district has the following rights,” listed as the right to:
It also laid out additional information regarding mandatory reporting and investigation requirements and proposed a Statewide educator misconduct registry and prohibition on romantic or sexual relationships between school employees and former students.
Attorney Cass Casper of the Disparti Law Group urged anyone with additional information to come forward, “ We need everyone to step forward now, it is all hands on deck.”
In a previous statement from Oconto Falls Public Schools Superintendent Stuart Russ, he said “The district is confident that its past actions and its response to [the] plaintiffs’ demands have satisfied its duty to keep its students and schools safe. By working with law enforcement, the district has addressed each of these situations.”
Disparti Law Group can be contacted at (414) 368-0083.
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