Oberlin Schools to investigate administrator sued over alleged sexual harassment

OBERLIN — Oberlin Schools was made aware of and intends to investigate allegations made in a lawsuit against its family and student support coordinator, Jrayene "Jay" Nimene, dating back to early 2019 when he was employed by Lorain Schools. In a statement issued Sunday, Oberlin Superintendent David Hall said the district is taking the lawsuit seriously. "This is a very serious matter. Oberlin City Schools is looking into the alleged allegations brought against Mr. Nimene," Hall said. The district also was informed that Nimene intends to file a defamation of character suit, according to the statement. Nimene did not return requests for comment Monday. No attorney was listed for him on court records. A lawsuit filed recently in Lorain County Common Pleas Court by a Lorain high school teacher identified as only "Jane Doe" accused Nimene of beginning a pattern of sexual harassment against her in January 2019. The suit accuses the administrator of trying to expose the teacher's breasts and kiss her while in her classroom. Doe applied for the dean of academics job at Lorain Schools in July 2019, according to the lawsuit. She alleges that Nimene offered to help her prepare for the interview and came to her home, but he acted inappropriately at the residence, including grabbing her and masturbating behind her. The suit contends that he was present during the job interview the following day, and his intimidating leers caused her to perform poorly during questioning by a panel of interviewers. She did not get the dean position. Doe reported Nimene's conduct to the district's Human Resources Department on Dec. 23, 2019, according to the court filing, and an investigation allegedly found she had been sexually harassed, according to the lawsuit. Doe is seeking compensation for lost wages and mental anguish after the alleged harassment. Nimene resigned from Lorain Schools. He was hired by Oberlin Schools as student and family support coordinator in August 2020. His contract runs through July 31, 2022, and he is paid $86,000 a year. Prior to the start of his contract, he was paid at a per diem rate working for the district from April 20, 2020, to July 31, 2020, via a grant, according to information in his personnel file obtained by The Chronicle-Telegram via a public records request. His personnel record with Oberlin Schools includes seven letters of recommendation dating back to his hiring by Lorain Schools former CEO David Hardy Jr. in late 2017. One of those letters was from Hall, which noted he had known Nimene for more than five years at that time. In his letter, he called Nimene "a true leader" and a student advocate "with no hidden agendas." Similar supportive statements were made by an administrator with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, a retired Elyria administrator, and former Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.