Former Toledo teacher accused of inappropriately touching students surrenders Washington teaching certificate

Jan. 2—A former Toledo Middle School teacher accused of inappropriately touching at least nine students in 2021 has surrendered his Washington state teaching certificate after pleading guilty to one count of fourth-degree assault in Lewis County District Court.

The City of Toledo filed charges against the teacher, Ronald A. Schlauch, 59, on Aug. 23, 2023, after the Toledo Police Department investigated student complaints against Schlauch, according to court documents.

Schlauch initially faced 11 counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation, but pleaded guilty to just one count of fourth-degree assault without the sexual motivation stipulation on Dec. 22. All remaining charges were dismissed.

A Lewis County District Court judge sentenced Schlauch on Dec. 22 to 364 days in jail, but suspended the full sentence for 24 months. With the suspended sentence, Schlauch will not serve jail time unless he violates the conditions of the suspension. Those conditions include a special provision prohibiting him from working or volunteering at "any school or community organization that will result in him having contact with any person under the age of 18," according to court documents.

Other standard conditions include maintaining a valid mailing address, abiding by all court orders, having no further convictions, and paying court-ordered fines.

Schlauch's sentence included a $750 fine, in addition to a $43 criminal conviction fee.

As part of Schlauch's plea deal, Schlauch voluntarily surrendered his Washington state teaching certificate. Schlauch's defense attorney mailed the notarized document signed by Schlauch declaring he was surrendering his teaching certificate to the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on Dec. 22, according to court documents.

In the document, Schlauch stated, "I further understand that the superintendent of public instruction will notify other states and public and private school officials with the state of Washington that I have voluntarily surrendered my certificate(s) as a result of the conduct for which I pled guilty in Lewis County District Court."

The Toledo School District placed Schlauch on administrative leave when the investigation began in November 2021, according to a parent of one of the victims.

Schlauch started the 2022-23 school year as the seventh and eighth grade math teacher for Hines Middle School in Harney County, Oregon, according to reporting by a local news outlet. The school's website listed Schlauch as a current teacher as of Oct. 12, 2023, but his name was no longer listed on the school's staff directory on Jan. 2, 2024.

The first report of Schlauch's behavior was made by a parent on Nov. 1, 2021, but the report that triggered the investigation was made by a female student on Nov. 12, 2021, according to court documents. That student reported Schlauch had "stopped her at the door and put his hand on her breast and squeezed it." She said that on multiple occasions between Aug. 31 and Nov. 12, Schlauch had "rubbed her shoulders and would sometimes walk by her and either brush her hair over her shoulders or move it off her shoulders and make her uncomfortable," according to court documents. The student "reported she saw this happen to other girls in her class."

Several other female students "began to come forward and share their interactions with the defendant" after Toledo Middle School launched an internal investigation, according to court documents.

In interviews with Toledo police, several Toledo Middle School employees said multiple students, both male and female, reported instances where Schlauch made them uncomfortable before the Nov. 12 report that triggered the investigation.

While the Toledo Police Department launched its investigation into Schlauch's conduct on Nov. 12, 2021, the case went cold when the Toledo Police Department shut down on Aug. 1, 2022, as a result of then-Police Chief Sam Patrick leaving the department and the Toledo City Council voting down a possible policing contract the month prior.

The Toledo Police Department's current police chief, Duane Garavais Lawrence, re-started the investigation after he took the job in October of 2022.

"Several important points were met with the plea agreement," Garvais Lawrence said in an email to a Chronicle reporter on Dec. 29.

"For the community of Toledo, the voices of these young girls, now young ladies, have been heard, validated and justice prevailed," Garvais Lawrence said.

The law offices of O'Rourke and Buzzard were the lead prosecutors in this case.