(This story was updated to add new information.)
A federal civil rights lawsuit alleges the Oconto Falls School Board created the conditions for a 15-year-long pattern of sexual abuse by teachers and staff members, violating the victims’ Title IX rights.
The lawsuit was filed March 11 in Milwaukee by Disparti Law Group, representing three former students. It alleges the district “allowed a climate to flourish” that resulted in students being groomed and abused for more than 15 years.
Three teachers are named in the Title IX lawsuit, although none are named as defendants: David Heisel, Brynn Larsen and Gayle Gander. Five other staff members are mentioned but not named.
Gander was charged with sexual misconduct in January. The district said then that it had removed Gander from his position at the high school as soon as it learned of the allegations. Brynn Larsen pleaded no contest to third-degree sexual assault of a student in 2021 and was sentenced to two years in prison. There are currently no criminal charges against Heisel.
The lawsuit states several unnamed teachers are still “believed to be employed” by the district.
Lead counsel Cass Casper said the lawsuit is being filed now because victims only just became aware of the scope of the alleged abuse after finding each others’ posts on social media. He’s asking any other potential victims to come forward.
“This kind of conduct must stop in our school systems. It must stop in our region, it must stop in the Midwest,” Casper said.
In a statement, the Oconto Falls School District said the allegations have been previously investigated and action has been taken when necessary, as in the Gander and Larsen cases.
“The district is confident that its past actions and its response to plaintiffs’ demands have satisfied its duty to keep its students and schools safe,” Superintendent Stuart Russ said in a statement. “The district’s staff of excellent professional educators strive every day to deliver a great educational experience for all students. This is not diminished by the inexcusable actions of these identified former employees. In every instance in which the district became aware of allegations against an individual, definitive action has been taken.”
The School Board did not respond to a request for comment by the time this article was published.
What does the complaint allege?
The complaint alleges at least nine different perpetrators groomed, sexually harassed or sexually assaulted as many as 19 victims from 2005 to 2025. It names three victims – Amanda Watzka, Brooke La Count and Grace Williams – but Casper said all victims were willing to participate.
Watzka, La Count and Williams said that in their cases, multiple teachers and administrators knew or had seen victims and alleged perpetrators together “in circumstances that should have prompted concern.” They said some had specific knowledge of what was taking place and did not make a report or take meaningful action to intervene, and that the Oconto Falls School Board had received complaints about the abuse and failed to intervene, in one case allowing an alleged abuser to be rehired.
“The sexual abuse and grooming of Amanda, Brooke, and Grace did not occur in isolation, but rather within a pervasive culture at Oconto Falls School District in which teacher-student sexual abuse, grooming, and misconduct was widespread, known to school officials through reports and/or direct observations, and tolerated without meaningful consequence,” the complaint claims.
Casper said that multiple staff members had repeatedly failed to recognize clear warning signs, including an essay written by Watzka describing her relationship with a teacher and a separate teacher being aware of La Count sharing a bed with an assistant volleyball coach.
The complaint names the School Board because the victims want to focus on the institution, Casper said. It says the board failed to adopt policies including requiring investigations, mandatory reporting of accused teachers and staff training on grooming behavior.
Background on named school staff
Gander, 60, of Oconto Falls was charged Jan. 15 with five counts of sexual misconduct by school staff, three counts of child enticement-exposing genitals/pubic area/intimate parts, and three counts of exposing genitals/pubic area/intimate parts to a child. Gander is scheduled to return to court April 14 for his arraignment. Gander taught English language arts and was a member of the high school’s English department since 1998, according to a district webpage. The School Board terminated his employment at a Dec. 23 meeting.
Larsen, 36, of Oconto Falls pleaded no contest Feb. 10, 2021 to third-degree sexual assault. A charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child and two counts of child enticement-sexual contact were dismissed through a plea agreement, according to court records. Larsen was sentenced April 20, 2021, to two years in prison followed by five years on extended supervision. She was released from Taycheedah Correctional Institution in early 2023. Larsen was a substitute teacher from 2013-2018.
There are currently no charges in Wisconsin’s court system against Heisel. He has been at Oconto Falls since 2002 and is a tech ed teacher, according to the district’s webpage, but is not listed on the staff directory.
What comes next?
The aim is to solve an “institutional problem,” Casper said
“The goal is to cause a cultural change at Oconto Falls, and hopefully around the region,” Casper said.
Victims are requesting the court award compensatory damages and require the Oconto Falls School Board “institute adequate policies and procedures to prevent teacher-student grooming and sexual abuse,” as well as any other appropriate relief.
The lawsuit comes as Wisconsin lawmakers are reckoning with the prevalence of sexual grooming in schools following a Cap Times investigation in fall 2025. Last week, Gov. Tony Evers signed a law making grooming a felony crime and another requiring schools to set communication rules aimed at preventing grooming.
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf at nscharf@usatodayco.com or on X at @nadiaascharf.
Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@usatodayco.com or (920) 431-8314.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Lawsuit says Oconto Falls School Board allowed pattern of sex abuse
Reporting by Nadia Scharf and Vivian Barrett, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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