INDIANAPOLIS — A former teacher and the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township have reached a settlement agreement nearly four years after the district filed a lawsuit alleging the teacher lied on his job application.
Nathan Shewell will pay a $25,000 settlement to MSD of Washington Township, according to Superintendent Dr. Sean Taylor.
As WRTV Investigates reported, Shewell faced allegations of misconduct while working at North Central High School.
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The district filed a lawsuit in May 2022 against Nathan Shewell for fraud, alleging that Shewell lied on his job application.
When asked whether he'd ever been asked to resign a position or had resigned to avoid termination, Shewell answered "no." Yet Shewell resigned his position from Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg while facing termination for an inappropriate student relationship, the lawsuit alleged.
WRTV Investigates did some checking and found that not only did Shewell resign from Silver Creek in Sellersburg in 2012, but he also resigned from LaPlata High School in Maryland in 2007 after working there for a year and a half.
TIMELINE
- Hired at LaPlata High School in Maryland in January 2006 — Resigned June 30, 2007
- Hired at Silver Creek High School in Indiana in August 2008 — Resigned Sept. 28, 2012
- Hired at North Central High School in Indiana in August 2013 — Fired May 26, 2020
"Defendant made false material representations or omissions of past facts to the School District regarding the circumstances of his employment at West Clark Community School Corporation, including the serious allegations levied against him, the discipline that he faced, and that he resigned while facing termination for alleged sexual relationships with students," read the lawsuit.
The school district said that because Shewell had no criminal record, and because he lied on his job application, they hired him, the lawsuit alleged.
Washington Township schools sought monetary damages from Shewell, as well as attorneys' fees.
"Specifically, the facts and circumstances surrounding Defendant’s termination and post-termination events have caused the School District to pay Defendant for administrative leave, suffer reputational harm, incur legal fees to investigate his conduct, and sustain damages related to claims by Defendant’s students," read the lawsuit.
WRTV Investigates attempted to speak with Shewell and his attorney, but his attorney declined to provide a comment.
Shewell now lives in Florida, court records show.
In a court filing, Shewell denied he verbally, physically or sexually abused students.
Four former North Central High School students filed a federal lawsuit in May 2022 alleging the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township ignored a pattern of complaints about former drama teacher and theater director Nathan Shewell.
According to the lawsuit filed in May 2022, Shewell groomed female students using “unwelcome physical touching, verbal abuse and inappropriate sexual situations,” including making comments about their bodies.
In 2023, the district settled the lawsuit and agreed to pay a total of $245,000 to four plaintiffs.
Shewell worked at North Central High School from 2013 until he was fired in 2020, but the former students’ lawsuit alleged the school district was aware of Shewell’s behavior as far back as 2014.
Many of the allegations in the federal lawsuit were brought to light in a February 2021 WRTV Investigation, which outlined allegations of verbal, physical and sexual abuse of students by Shewell.
The WRTV Investigation prompted protests from students and parents who urged the district to better address allegations of sexual misconduct.
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