Mar. 8—CENTERVILLE — Former Centerville Community Schools guidance counselor Ryan Hodges has surrendered his teaching license amid accusations of grooming.

According to documents submitted to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners dated Jan. 2, Hodges agreed to the surrender of his licenses as part of a resolution to his case before the state board that handles teacher and certified educational staff licensing.

“This settlement agreement and final order constitutes the final resolution of a contested case proceeding and shall have the force and effect of a disciplinary order entered following a contested case hearing,” the document read.

Hodges has been accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate communications with a former female student in a lawsuit brought by a former female student. District investigators also wrote about a pattern they likened to grooming in two internal investigative documents that were widely circulated in the community and reported on by local media, including the Ottumwa Courier.

In signing the settlement agreement, Hodges completely denied all allegations, claiming them to be slander and said he would be defending himself. The Board of Educational Examiners redacted the factual background for the charges in documents available publicly, but the board did say they found probable cause to advance the case after receiving complaints. The BOEE had charged Hodges with “soliciting, encouraging or consummating a romantic or otherwise inappropriate relationship with a student.”

“By signing this document, I do not in any manner admit the allegations against me to be true and I deny the allegations,” Hodges’ statement read, in part. He continued, “I believe the board should not encourage this type of activity and should not be condoning this activity in its actions.”

While at Centerville High School, Hodges was also a varsity baseball coach and child abuse investigator in addition to his duties as a guidance counselor.

Hodges resigned following a closed session on Feb. 3 last year. The Iowa Freedom of Information Council has launched a lawsuit set for trial in June, claiming that the district violated Iowa’s open meetings law by: holding a closed session when they lacked the statutory grounds to close the meeting under Iowa Code; holding a closed session without satisfying the procedural steps required by Iowa Code; holding a closed session without the factual basis necessary to proceed under Iowa Code; and exceeding the scope of the stated reasons for a closed session by discussing matters unrelated to those reasons.

The IFOIC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that pursues government transparency issues in Iowa. The Ottumwa Courier is a funding member of the IFOIC, and its general manager and editor Kyle Ocker sits on the nonprofit’s board of trustees.

Donald Promnitz is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at dpromnitz@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @DonPromnitz.