Assistant principal ‘disregarded’ reports of gym teacher abusing girls, Florida cops say

The assistant principal at a Florida private school ignored a girl’s report that a teacher sexually abused her — then more students came forward, authorities said.

Now, 41-year-old Ryan Clemens is the latest staff member charged at the Gainesville Catholic school, St. Patrick’s Interparish School.

Clemens, the school’s assistant principal, was arrested March 13 on charges of child neglect and tampering with evidence, the Gainesville Police Department said in a news release that day.

His arrest follows that of 46-year-old P.E. teacher Christopher Charles Chell on March 6 on 10 charges of lewd or lascivious molestation, Alachua County court records show.

Neither of the men’s attorney information is listed in case records.

Both have been fired from the school, a spokesperson for the Diocese of St. Augustine told McClatchy News.

Detectives with the Gainesville Police Department said Chell abused his authority as a teacher and coach to gain the trust of multiple middle school girls.

“Over the course of several months Chell engaged in a pattern of behavior that escalated from inappropriate touching to criminal acts,” police said in a March 8 news release.

One of these students came forward to Clemens. He brought the child into a meeting behind closed doors with her accused abuser during which he sided with the teacher, investigators said.

He believed the teacher was telling the truth and “disregarded” the student’s report, according to police.

Police said the assistant principal “considered the investigation complete” and filed a report with the state’s Department of Children and Families with “false information, minimizing the incident.”

He didn’t take any other steps to address the teacher’s reported actions, police said.

But days after the first report, a group of students and a teacher came forward with similar reports, according to police.

Investigators accuse the assistant principal of failing to protect students from the teacher, in part by not filing additional reports with state or local authorities.

Detectives believe the teacher may have abused more students who have not been identified, and they are encouraging those with information to come forward.

The Diocese of St. Augustine told McClatchy News that it reported the accused teacher’s misconduct on Feb. 23.

“The diocese, along with its school officials, continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,” officials said. “We continue to keep the families who have been impacted by this case and the St. Patrick faith community in our prayers.”

St. Patrick Interparish School serves students in preschool through eighth grade. It’s located in Gainesville, which is also home to the University of Florida.

This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Assistant principal ‘disregarded’ reports of gym teacher abusing girls, Florida cops say."