Last Updated 1 month by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page
Former high school coach arrested for child solicitation – News 8 at 6
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — A former girl’s basketball coach at Taylor High School was arrested and charged with child solicitation and sexual battery. Some parents feel like the school isn’t doing enough.
Investigators said 49-year-old Randy “Scott” Sullivan sent explicit photos and videos to a 15-year-old girl. They said he has been grooming her for years, and had an inappropriate relationship with her.
Sullivan turned himself in to police, and is being at the Howard County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
Steve Dishon, the school’s superintendent, said Sullivan worked as a coach and groundskeeper for nearly three years. He was terminated on Sept. 24.
Taylor High School hosted two meetings to discuss student safety in light of Sullivan’s arrest. The afternoon meeting was heated, with parents wanting the school to do more.
One parent said, “It’s really frustrating because I feel like my kid was targeted.”
Aside from the unnamed victim, an unnamed parent also said her daughter was harassed on a daily basis by Sullivan to join the basketball team. She said the school should do more to address the situation and also support other students affected by Sullivan.
Dishon said there were new policies in place. He stressed the “if you see something, say something” policy, where anyone can report a situation. Dishon said there will be more training for school employees and students about digital safety and identifying grooming behaviors. They will halt one-on-one practices. Communication will go through staff emails and Google Classroom instead of texts, and they will ban parties and get togethers at coaches’ homes. Faculty won’t be allowed to transport students in their personal vehicles.
“Looking to the future, putting trainings in place will help better see what’s going on in our schools,” Dishon said.
Despite the new changes, some parents thought it wasn’t enough. Many parents expressed frustration that they weren’t being told everything, but the superintendent says he couldn’t talk about specifics of the case.
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