Strongsville Assistant Athletic Director charged with public indecency previously worked in Lorain County schools

An assistant athletic director charged with public indecency exposure last month is a Keystone graduate who previously worked at Elyria Schools. Brett Bartlett worked as Strongsville Schools' assistant athletic director from Aug. 1 to Jan. 22. He was charged with public indecency after allegedly masturbating in a Target parking lot after reportedly following people in the parking lot on Jan. 20, according to a North Olmsted police report. Police received calls about Bartlett's alleged suspicious behavior and camera footage from inside the store reportedly showed Bartlett walking around the store and following a group of juveniles. When police spoke to Bartlett in his vehicle, his pants were undone and he appeared to have semen on his thigh, forearm and abdomen. He was charged with public indecency — appearing to be a sex act, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned Feb. 17 in Rocky River Municipal Court. He pleaded not guilty. In a statement to The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria Schools confirmed Bartlett worked in the district under various capacities, including as a teacher, substitute teacher and long-term substitute for the 2024-25 school year. "During Bartlett's employment with Elyria Schools, we received no complaints, reports or information suggesting inappropriate conduct," Communications Director Amy Higgins wrote in a statement. "Standard background checks and reference checks were completed at the time of hire. Additionally, no actions or behaviors occurred during his time in our schools that would have prompted disciplinary action." Bartlett is a 2004 graduate of Keystone High School and a member of the district's sports hall of fame. He attended Kent State and Ashland universities and was an assistant boys basketball coach in Brunswick Schools and Elyria Schools. He was hired as the boys basketball coach for Firelands Schools in 2012, and spent three years there before taking a job with Big Walnut Schools in Sunbury. He left Sunbury in 2024. In a statement on its Facebook page, Strongsville Schools stated Bartlett was placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 16 for job performance issues. It stated the district was not informed of the alleged incident in North Olmsted until after Bartlett's resignation on Jan. 22. "At no time during his employment with Strongsville City Schools did our district receive any reports or allegations of inappropriate interactions with students," the district stated. The North Olmsted police department's report included information reportedly from the district, which included Bartlett's disciplinary issues focusing on communication, tardiness, absences alcohol and "alleged inappropriate interactions with teens" such as adding recent 18-year-olds on social media. The district stated disciplinary matters referencing alcohol and inappropriate actions with teens "did not occur during (Bartlett's) employment with Strongsville Schools." This story has been updated to include Bartlett pleaded not guilty in Rocky River Municipal Court.