Former Oconto Falls students file federal lawsuit

OCONTO FALLS – Disparti Law Group officially filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Oconto Falls Board of Education on Wednesday, March 11.

The 60-page suit was filed by three plaintiffs — who will be identified in this article by their first names, Amanda, Brooke and Grace — against the school board for an alleged “disturbing pattern of abuse by multiple teachers and staff members over a period of time of twenty years,” a Disparti press release stated.

The official legal complaint explained that “this is a civil rights action arising from the sexual grooming and abuse of three students at Oconto Falls High School by teachers and coaches employed by the board.”

Across the three plaintiffs, they gave a total shared timeframe of 2010 - 2014 and the spring of 2018. They also named two alleged perpetrators who “groomed and sexually abused them,” according to the legal complaint.

Regarding this abuse, the complaint included the following information: “Plaintiffs were minors who did not understand that their teachers’ conduct was predatory, criminal or constituted actionable civil wrongs. Each plaintiff always remembered the facts of what occurred to her, but did not understand until 2025 that those facts reflected criminal conduct and constitutional violations.”

Of the two individuals named by the three plaintiffs, one has since been arrested.

In 2021, former volleyball coach Brynn Larsen was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting a student. According to court reports, Larsen was found guilty of third degree sexual assault due to a no contest plea.

An additional educator was named by one of the plaintiffs, who documented the abuse she experienced between ages 16 and 18 beginning in 2010.

As of this publication, no official charges have been filed against this individual. According to the Oconto Falls High School staff directory, this individual is no longer working within the school.

Outside of the three plaintiffs, around 14 other victims were identified. This included nine individuals mentioned only by their initials, one anonymous male and at least five anonymous students from a separate case.

The victims identified an overlap of five staff members who were not named in the complaint as well as former English teacher and performing arts center director Gayle Gander.

Gander was fired after his arrest in December of 2025 and is currently awaiting arraignment on a variety of charges, including sexual misconduct.
The complaint dived into the breadth of these complaints, “In fall 2025, plaintiffs discovered for the first time that the board had such unwritten policies, customs and practices of fostering and condoning sexual abuse and grooming by discovering that at least nine different teachers, including their own abusers, had engaged in grooming and/or sexual abuse as to at least fourteen identified victims spanning a period of at least twenty years (2005 - 2025) and that the board had consistently failed to investigate, discipline or otherwise act on reports of abuse.”

In regards to claims about the board ignoring abuse, the plaintiffs named a variety of school staff members said to have varying degrees of knowledge.
“The theory of plaintiffs’ case against the board is not simply that they were sexually abused, but that they were abused by teachers and coaches under circumstances created by the board through its unwritten policies, practices and customs of allowing teacher-student sexual conduct and grooming to flourish and failing to act,” the complaint went on to include.

This lawsuit listed three counts against the board for violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 — a federal civil rights law that prevents sexual harassment and more — and one count for violating the 14th Amendment — a clause protecting bodily autonomy and more. A jury trial has been demanded as to all counts.

The lawsuit closed by stating, “Amanda, Brooke and Grace respectfully request that this court enter judgment in their favor and against the board, award compensatory damages in amounts to be determined at trial, enter injunctive relief requiring the board to institute adequate policies and procedures to prevent teacher-student grooming and sexual abuse and grant such other relief as the court deems just and proper.”

In response to this lawsuit, superintendent Stuart Russ said, “The allegations of misconduct by these two former school district employees were previously reported to the district, investigated by the district and referred to law enforcement. One of the former employees has already been convicted and sentenced to prison for her actions.”

The statement continued, “Plaintiffs threatened to sue the district and made substantial monetary demands in August 2025. Since August, the district has responded to plaintiffs and their attorney to recognize the wrongs by these two former employees, but also to help them understand that the district took prompt action when it was made aware of the misconduct. 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.”

“Plaintiffs’ allegations in their complaint about other staff and other students have also been investigated by the district. The district’s staff of excellent professional educators strive every day to deliver a great educational experience for all students. This is not diminished by the inexcusable actions of these identified former employees. In every instance in which the district became aware of allegations against an individual, definitive action has been taken,” his statement concluded.

Russ added that no additional information regarding the lawsuit can be shared as it is an ongoing matter, but the district will “continue to act promptly to any allegations of misconduct.”