A former Akron Public Schools director wants his job back and a public apology from district leaders for insinuating that he improperly used his position to profit from traded-in district lawn mowers.
Former Facility Services Director Steven Keenan filed a lawsuit on July 10 in U.S. District Court that accuses the school district, its current and former superintendents, a former treasurer, former chief of staff and current and former school board members of violating his federal rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act, sex discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract, bad faith and defamation.
The lawsuit, which requests a jury trial, follows an April 14 letter from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that gave Keenan the right to sue within 90 days.
The lawsuit seeks to reinstate Keenan to his director position; an award of back pay, front pay and benefits; payment of Keenan’s attorney fees, court fees and damages that Kennan suffered due to the district’s actions; other remedies the court deems appropriate; and a public apology letter and statement from the district that states Keenan did not use his district position for personal benefit.
Joanne Isaac, Akron Public Schools’ assistant director of marketing and communications, did not return a message seeking comment. The district typically does not comment on pending litigation.
Steven Keenan accused of lawn mower scheme, no charges filed
Keenan, who joined Akron Public Schools as a small engine repairer in March 2017, resigned in September after the school board started the process to fire him for violating board policies on staff ethics, conflicts of interest and disposition of district property. A district investigation found that Keenan had negotiated the trade-in of 11 district-owned lawn mowers without proper board approval, then personally bought seven of the traded-in mowers at a discounted price and resold at least five of them online for thousands of dollars in profit.
In accepting Keenan’s resignation, school board members added language to the resolution that directed the treasurer to refer the district’s investigation of Keenan to the Akron police chief and prosecutor, the state auditor, the Ohio Ethics Commission and the Internal Revenue Service for further investigation.
No agency has filed civil or criminal charges against Keenan.
City of Akron spokesperson Stephanie Marsh told the Akron Beacon Journal in December that the city prosecutor’s office had closed its investigation of Keenan and “there will be no further action as there was insufficient evidence of any criminal activity.”
Lawsuit alleges lawn mower investigation was retaliation
In the lawsuit, Keenan’s attorney, Danny Guan of the Akron-based law firm Roderick Linton Belfance, states the district launched the lawn mower investigation against Keenan to punish him for filing complaints in fall 2024 against then-Superintendent Michael Robinson and for filing complaints against the district in May 2025 and June 2025 with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
According to the lawsuit:
Keenan was on family medical leave in November 2024 to care for his spouse after major surgery when he learned that his position was being restructured and his contractual duties and his supervision of more than 300 facilities services employees were being reassigned. He later learned the district also took away his physical office and assigned him to a cubical in the district administrative building, the lawsuit states.
Keenan sent a complaint in November 2024 to the school board president stating his opposition to the restructuring. He also raised concerns about workplace dynamics and Robinson’s unprofessional treatment of facilities services staff.
Shortly after submitting the complaint, Keenan lost access to district systems, such as email and financial portals, and was told by human resources not to access his work computer or other equipment while on leave.
In April 2025, an outside law firm hired by the district concluded that Robinson had retaliated against Keenan for sending the November 2024 letter to the board. Investigators said that while human resources said that a new policy was put in place to revoke access to company systems while employees were on leave, the policy was repealed when Keenan returned, and he appeared to be the only one to have his access pulled.
The investigation also substantiated other employee complaints that Robinson had created a “toxic and fearful” work environment. Robinson left the district in April 2025 under a $200,000 separation agreement.
After Robinson left and Keenan still was not restored to his previous duties, Keenan filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which then transferred the complaints to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The first complaint was filed in May 2025 and a second one was filed on June 9, 2025, the day the district put him on paid administrative leave.
The complaints reiterated the retaliation claims against Robinson but also accuse a school board member of inappropriately contacting Keenan while he was on intermittent family medical leave in December 2024. The lawsuit describes the school board member’s contact with Keenan as “coercive, hostile, and threatening in nature” and said the board member sought to obtain a copy of the complaint Keenan had sent to the school board president.
In June 2025 – while the state and federal commissions were investigating Keenan’s complaints – district officials launched their investigation into Keenan’s involvement in the trade in and purchase of district lawn mowers. The district placed Keenan on paid administrative leave on June 6, 2025.
According to the lawsuit, Keenan wasn’t involved with the trade in of the lawnmowers to a Macedonia company. Two other district employees compiled the trade-in list and a business affairs administrator approved the trade-in list and the Macedonia company’s stated value for the lawn mowers.
The lawsuit also notes that at least one other employee bought the former district lawn mowers at a discounted price, but no other employees faced termination or were asked to resign.
Keenan claims he was coerced into resigning
Keenan decided to resign in September after he said district officials threatened or implied that they seek civil litigation or criminal prosecution against him, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states district officials also made several false statements to the media that Keenan took “advantage of the system,” and those statements negatively affected Keenan’s job prospects.
Keenan’s sex discrimination claim stems from the treatment he said he received shortly after being promoted to facilities service director in March 2024. The lawsuit states district female supervisors and senior employees repeatedly told Keenan that he was “too young” and “not experienced enough” for the position.
The lawsuit also states Keenan was penalized for being a man when district female leaders chose not to restore his duties, access, authority, and office after Robinson left the district.
Reach Akron Beacon Journal education writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kweir@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Former Akron schools director sues to get public apology, job back
Reporting by Kelli Weir, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Kelli Weir, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
