BUCKLAND — Following a civil complaint alleging sexual assault by a former employee, Mohawk Trail Regional School District Superintendent Sheryl Stanton is advising families that the district is working with Enough Abuse, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse, to provide training to staff and review school policies to ensure students are safe.

Stanton emailed parents and guardians Wednesday night to inform them that the district’s former boy’s ski coach, Rowe resident Sean Loomis, has been named in a civil lawsuit alleging “an inappropriate relationship with a former student.” The lawsuit was the subject of a Greenfield Recorder article that was published online earlier that day.

A complaint filed in Franklin County Superior Court alleges that between 2016 and 2019, Loomis used his authority as ski coach and manager of Rowe’s Pelham Lake Park to coerce a student into an inappropriate relationship and sexually assault the student multiple times when she was a teenager. In a response filed in court, and through his attorney, Loomis has denied the allegations.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority,” Stanton wrote. “This, understandably, may ring hollow given the allegations in the civil case reported in the Greenfield Recorder today.”

Stanton said that all district staff are subject to a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) review and a Sexual Offender Registry Information review (SORI) when they are hired, and given employee handbooks that outline requirements for professional conduct. Additionally, the district will be working with Enough Abuse to see what policies and procedures can be improved to prevent the abuse of students.

“Sexual abuse of children by adults employed in school districts is an unfathomable violation of trust and continues to happen across the state and nation,” Stanton said. “Given this, the district has pursued a partnership with Enough Abuse, an organization dedicated to preventing sexual abuse of children in school districts across Massachusetts.”

Stanton said the district will work with Enough Abuse to provide professional development, and to require staff to complete an Enough Abuse course that outlines “clear and consistent expectations for appropriate relationships between all adults and students in our school districts.” The nonprofit will also help review and amend district policies to recognize and stop inappropriate relationships between staff and students.

Current school policies do not include a list of specific behaviors that could be considered inappropriate, such as texting outside of school, but the policies do require staff to remain professional while interacting with students both in and outside of the classroom.

Section GBEBA of the School Committee personnel policies, adopted in October 2021, states the district holds its staff and volunteers to high standards and expects professional conduct. The district recognizes that in small communities there may be times when staff have personal relationships with students, family members and other staff outside of their roles as educators, but they should strive for a level of professionalism and objectivity. It states that romantic and sexual relationships with students are forbidden.

“There are no circumstances in which it is appropriate for an employee or volunteer to have a romantic or sexual relationship with a student,” the policy reads.

District personnel policy notes that reports of staff ethical misconduct must be investigated by the superintendent and that compliance with the school’s sexual harassment policy is coordinated by the district’s Title IX coordinator. At the time of the allegations against Loomis, the district’s Title IX coordinator was Sean Loomis’ wife, Leann Loomis.

Leann Loomis resigned from her position as the district’s director of personnel services on July 31, 2024, a little over a month after Sean Loomis resigned from his role as park manager in Rowe after 22 years. According to the minutes of a Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont subcommittee meeting from May 23, 2024, Leann Loomis advised she was stepping down due to the growing challenges and increased time needed to investigate civil rights and Title IX violations.

Athletic coaches at the district are hired on year-long contracts, which are renewed at the discretion of the coach and the school. Sean Loomis’ contract was not renewed for the 2024-2025 school year.

Stanton said in response to the news of the lawsuit that additional support services will be offered to students.

“We are aware of the impact this news and these allegations may have on our school community,” Stanton wrote. “Our student support services staff, including guidance and social workers, are available for any students that feel they may need additional support.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.