Hilliard Bradley High’s AD resigns
Women filed complaints, district says
Two years into his three-year contract as Hilliard Bradley High School’s athletic director, Kaz Pata has resigned amid allegations that he used social media to make two women at the school uncomfortable.
Pata had earlier this month been placed on paid administrative leave. According to a document in Pata’s personnel file, which The Dispatch obtained Wednesday, “the district received complaints from two female staff members that Mr. Pata made them uncomfortable in his attempts to communicate with them over social media.
“The district asked Mr. Pata to resign, and he did,” the records state. His resignation is effective Friday.
Contacted by The Dispatch at his home, Pata, 33, initially said that his resignation was related to personal issues at home.
“Really, I wasn’t doing a good job with that work-life balance,” he said, explaining this his $97,000 per year job required working late, often 60 to 70 hours per week. “I realized that the best thing I could do is to take a step back.” Asked about the complaints, Pata acknowledged that he contacted the women, but said “there was nothing said that was inappropriate.”
Pata declined to discuss what was in the social media communications, at least one of which occurred through
Linkedin.
Pata, who is married and has daughters, 3 and 1, said he could have faced his accusers and defended himself.
“I didn’t want the narrative to take off ” by doing so, he said. “The last thing I wanted to do is add fuel to the fire.”
Pata said there is “zero evidence” of crossing any line of impropriety.
“There was nothing said that was inappropriate,” Pata said.
When he learned of the womens’ complaints in the first week of February, Pata said, “It blew me away. I felt like it
was an attack against me.”
Pata said one of the women is a staff member, but added that he didn’t recognize the other woman as a school employee. When Pata was hired, Mike Loparo, the school’s football coach and then-member of the selection committee, told The Dispatch: “There is a charisma about the guy, and you could see he is comfortable with what he wants to do. He will attack it, which is awesome.”
Pata, who grew up in Belmont County in eastern Ohio, has an extensive resume teaching, coaching and eventually managing sports programs. He called being Hilliard athletic director “my dream job.” The resignation follows Olentangy Liberty High School’s hockey coach and two assistants being placed on paid administrative leave following “unspecified allegations” about their behavior.
dnarciso@dispatch.com