Dawson remains on paid leave; ODE to rule on teaching license
By ROBERT CONNELLY
CANFIELD
Douglas Dawson will remain on paid administrative leave until he is sentenced and the Ohio Department of Education makes a ruling on his teaching license.
Dawson, 48, was acquitted of domestic violence and resisting arrest by a Mahoning County Area Court grand jury about 11:25 p.m. Tuesday. He was found guilty on violation of a protection order and will be sentenced on that charge next month.
Canfield schools superintendent Alex Geordan said the district will continue to follow the Ohio Revised Code, Canfield Board of Education policy and the collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union.
“We continue to respect the due process,” Geordan said. “Ultimately, we’re going to continue to take all of this into consideration to ensure a nurturing environment and an educationally sound institution for our youth.”
Dawson went to the school district to return to work Wednesday morning, but was asked to leave the premises, the district said in a memo, because his guilty verdict involved children. He was placed back on administrative paid leave to be served outside of the district.
Geordan said the Ohio Department of Education Office of Misconduct was contacted Wednesday morning about the case and will do its own investigation.
Geordan said that body will ask for court records, jury statements and the findings of Tuesday’s trial.
“Then they will deliberate and through their investigation they will be in contact with Mr. Dawson’s attorney, be in contact with the prosecutor, be in contact with the judge,” he said. “Until we have a finding from the Ohio Department of Education, he will continue to be on administrative leave.”
Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Mike McBride said the maximum penalties associated with violation of a protection order conviction are up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine and up to five years probation.
Since the Nov. 27, 2014 incident that led to this case, Dawson has filed for divorce from his wife.
The finding of guilty on the violation of a protection order, stems from a Dec. 30 consent agreement. Both parties signed off on communicating via text messaging to arrange times Dawson could see his children.
Dawson, and Atty. Albert Palombaro, argued Tuesday night that Dawson could not arrange a visit time for Jan. 1 because Dawson’s wife blocked his phone number from her cell phone.
Dawson’s wife testified Tuesday afternoon that she blocked Dawson’s phone number because he was texting her about other matters than their children.