Sibley, Iowa — If the trial happens as scheduled, it will be 16 months before we hear a verdict in the civil case brought against the Sibley-Ocheyedan School District on behalf of a boy who was allegedly sexually abused by a former teacher at the Sibley-Ocheyedan Middle School.
According to court records, the jury trial has been scheduled for September 11th, 2018 at the Osceola County Courthouse in Sibley. It also says that any trial in the case would be expected to last 10 days.
The civil suit alleges that the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District was negligent in hiring Kyle Ewinger, the former teacher and coach who is accused of having sexual contact with a student, and that they knew or should have known that Ewinger posed a safety risk to the children entrusted to him.
Judge Carl Petersen notes that a pretrial conference for the civil case has not been scheduled, nor has a settlement conference, but records say that either or both will be held upon the request of the parties or by order of the Court.
Ewinger has also been charged in a criminal case with Second Degree Sexual Abuse in connection with the alleged incident in October, 2015, when Ewinger is alleged to have spent the night in his middle school classroom with a student, and is accused of engaging in sexual activity with the boy. Ewinger has pled not guilty and a pretrial conference is set for September 1st, 2017, with the trial at this point scheduled for October 17th.
