Board of education members in a western Ohio school district are having their lawyers consider separation proposals for a newly appointed superintendent after Cortland Police charged him with three counts of unlawful restraint.

The announcement was made after an executive, closed-door session held during Tuesday night’s Tiffin City school board meeting. 

The board also announced it will hold a special meeting on Friday to further discuss the status of Superintendent Van McWreath who was arraigned earlier this month on the charges filed following a May 16 incident at his St. Andrews court home involving his wife of six months and her two daughters.

Cortland police were called to the home where McWreath’s 50-year-old wife and her daughters, ages 14 and 23, told officers that McWreath had allegedly been drinking and blocked the three women in the basement where they had been eating pizza.

According to the police report, McWreath sat on the floor and leaned against the outside of the basement door, trapping the trio downstairs.

The oldest step-daughter told police she pushed so hard against the door, it broke, allowing her mother, sister, and herself to get free.  The 23-year-old told police that they tried to stop her stepfather from leaving, but he allegedly body-checked her, causing her to fall.

The police report includes a photograph of the broken door.

 

  Cortland Police

 The women said McWreath drove away in his Jeep. The wife and stepdaughter say they called the police over concerns for his safety because he had been drinking.

According to court records, a judge has prohibited McWreath from contacting the alleged victims but did allow him to retrieve personal belongings from his home.

McWreath, 48, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and faces another hearing in Trumbull County Central District Court in August. He recently resigned as Principal at Painesville Harvey High School in Lake County to take the new job as Superintendent in Tiffin, which is 130 miles west of Cortland in Seneca County, Ohio.

The Tiffin Board of Education posted the following statement on its website regarding the matter:

The Tiffin City Board of Education is aware of the recent charges against Mr. McWreath that have arisen as a result of issues he is experiencing in his personal life.  We met with Mr. McWreath who has been forthcoming about the problems that he is working to resolve. The Board has been consulting with legal counsel to ensure that it is acting both in compliance with law and in the best interest of the District.  At this time the situation is being closely monitored as it progresses.

During the public input part of Tuesday's Tiffin Board of Education meeting, former board member Ronald Zimmerman said that schools need a “good leader” and not someone who has family problems.

State records show McWreath was first licensed to teach in 2000 and was granted a principal’s license in 2005.