Christian School in Swannanoa, North Carolina, Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Misconduct by Former Dean

A civil lawsuit filed Jan. 9 in Buncombe County Superior Court alleges that Asheville Christian Academy, a PreK-12 private school in Swannanoa, North Carolina, was negligent in its handling of sexual misconduct allegedly committed by a former dean of spiritual formation against a student. The lawsuit says the school failed to report the alleged abuse of an anonymous female student.

The former dean is identified in the lawsuit as Jason Ingle, 52, a coach who had previously been listed as the school’s dean of spiritual formation. The lawsuit says he was terminated last June. According to arrest warrants cited by the ABC affiliate WLOS, Ingle was arrested last June and held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility on a $10,000 secured bond. The warrants allege that he engaged in a sex act with an 18-year-old student in February 2024. These are allegations contained in warrants, not findings of guilt.

The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff, who began attending the school at age 10, was groomed by Ingle with the aim of lowering her inhibitions in order to abuse and exploit her. Some former students, according to the suit, claim the alleged grooming began when the plaintiff was in seventh or eighth grade. The lawsuit also alleges that Ingle met with the girl alone early in the morning for athletic workouts, was seen alone with her in his car on numerous occasions, and spent significant time alone with her in his office during school hours. It further alleges that Ingle kept a photograph of the girl on his desk beside a photograph of his wife and ate alone with her at school functions.

The suit states that the school “unconscionably allowed this egregious and outrageous conduct to continue” without taking steps to report, investigate, discipline, or pursue criminal charges. It claims staff worked together to cover up the alleged abuse. The lawsuit states that ACA administrators, faculty, and staff “willfully and wantonly failed to intervene and failed to report” the behaviors as required by law, and it names former head of school William George, former associate head of school Wade Tapp, and teachers Taylor Bell and Alexis Zanias. Bell and Zanias have since been placed on administrative leave. Protecting students who cannot defend themselves from harm is the duty at the center of the failure-to-report claims (Proverbs 31:8-9).

According to the lawsuit, a school resource officer escorted George off campus when he was terminated in June over the situation. George had served as head of school for 32 years. The lawsuit’s claims have not been proven in court.

A source connected to the school told The Christian Post that the board’s handling of the situation was wrong and has left current employees uneasy. “The current leadership seems to equate throwing people under the bus with standing for righteousness,” the source said. “This makes the current faculty and staff feel like their positions are tenuous.”

In a statement, the ACA Board of Directors said the school had recently been named in a lawsuit and was reviewing the allegations. “We are reviewing the complaint allegations and will respond to them during the course of litigation,” the board said. “We consider it essential to our mission to keep our students safe and maintain an environment in which they can thrive.” The school was also badly damaged last fall when the swollen Swannanoa River largely destroyed its campus during Hurricane Helene, causing approximately $15 million in damages.

Source: Read the original report