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BOURBON – Parents and community members addressed the Triton School Board Monday regarding a former teacher and a lawsuit against him and the school corporation.
A former student and her parents have filed a civil lawsuit against former Triton School Corporation (TSC) teacher Zachary Whittaker, his former wife Amanda Whittaker and TSC.
In June 2025, Zach Whittaker was sentenced to six months in the Kosciusko County Jail and 18 months on probation after pleading guilty to child seduction, a level 6 felony.
There are two times for public comment during the meeting. Before the first time of public comment where people can ask questions specifically on agenda items, Board President Terri Barnhart told those attending the meeting the rules for public comment, which include people are restricted to 3 minutes, there would be 15 minutes total minutes for public comment, comments should be directed to the board as a whole and any belligerent behavior would not be allowed. School board members would not be able to answer any questions about any possible or pending litigation.
During the superintendent’s report, Superintendent Jeremy Riffle said although the past few weeks have been difficult and the manner in which some conversations have unfolded have been disappointing, Riffle believed there still is “an opportunity for us to learn, reflect and grow.” He said he and the team remains fully committed to and confident in the scholars, teachers and staff and administrators at Triton and the broader community it serves.
“I truly do believe our best days are just ahead,” he said, adding because continuous improvement is the corporation’s top strategic priority, they will seek ways to improve and will use the feedback to strengthen the school corporation and move forward in a positive direction.
Before the second time for patron comments, Riffle shared a public statement from Triton Schools.
“Recently, an individual posted on the website Change.org a petition for several Triton school educators to be placed on leave during an alleged investigation into the Whittaker matter. Unfortunately, the petition possesses inaccuracies, which Triton School Corporation now corrects,” he said.
There is no investigation, instead the school corporation is part of a lawsuit “which relates to criminal conduct committed by Whittaker while he was a Triton High School teacher and coach.”
In October 2024, upon learning of Whittaker’s misconduct, TSC administrators contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services and law enforcement, who investigated Whittaker. Following Triton’s reports, the statement said, Whittaker resigned. Triton, as required by law, informed the Indiana Department of Education of the reasons why he resigned and the state revoked his license, Riffle said.
“Law enforcement also investigated whether Triton school administrators reported Whittaker’s misconduct in a timely fashion. Following that investigation, no charges were filed against any Triton school employees,” Riffle said.
Since Triton first reported Whittaker, he has not been associated with the school corporation nor been allowed on school grounds.
In total, seven people spoke after Riffle read Triton’s statement.
Parent Stephen Fink said it’s become apparent to him, following multiple events, Triton has been operating under a toxic patriarchal power structure.
“Women who are allowed to succeed are either complacent, compliant or complicit. Men who act against the best interests of their students, their coworkers and concerned parents are given little in the way of reprimand and go about their business feeling empowered and emboldened. How else was a young girl able to be groomed by a pillar of the community for years, forced to adorn tokens of her abuse while she walked through the halls under threats of retribution should she speak up?” he said.
All he heard from the administration were words in defense of themselves and their position, “no humanity, no humility.” He suggested Triton put themselves in the former student’s position. He didn’t think Triton administrators were bad people, but don’t do enough listening. The community asks Triton to look after their children and they deserve an administration that admits its mistakes and works daily to rectify them.
Parent Tyson Horter, who started the change.org petition, said he cares deeply about the students, staff and the future of Triton. He started the petition because he believes the concerns and allegations that have been brought forward deserve to be taken seriously and addressed with transparency. The petition was not about personal attacks or rushing to judgement, to make sure the schools remain safe and a trusting environment for every student and family.
He said the change.org petition had 377 signatures so far and asks the four administrators named in the lawsuit be placed on administrative leave while the legal process moves forward. He said it is a temporary measure that allows the facts to be reviewed objectively while helping maintain public confidence in the district. Indiana code said school employees who suspect abuse are required to report it directly it DCS or law enforcement immediately and they are not permitted to conduct their own investigation for making a report.
“These requirements exist to protect children” and make certain concerns are handled by proper authorities. “As parents and community members, we expect these laws and procedures to be followed and taken seriously. Our community” deserves transparency and accountability. He asked the board to consider the concerns expressed by the families and community members who signed the petition and take whatever actions are necessary to maintain the trust in the school corporation while the matter is being resolved.
Resident Steve McBride said he taught at Triton for over 40 years. He heard about two names associated with the lawsuit in which he has personal relationships with. One was a counselor and the other is Riffle. He said those two people are high-character people and when you have high-character people involved, you have people you can rely on. He said his heart goes out to the family. The number one purpose of school is the safety of the children. He said Whittaker has been dealt with properly “and I think this administration has been pretty consistent.” He said the school board represents the community, but asked Triton not make a knee-jerk reaction to the situation. He added he thought there were high-quality people at Triton.
Paul Williams, Triton Teachers Association president, said Whittaker was never a member of the union and wasn’t supported by the union.
“We had no knowledge of anything that he did, and I can assure you any of my members if they did have knowledge, would have immediately reported it,” he said. “Secondly, there have been accusations made about my members. And they are false accusations, and I would caution that when you make those knowingly false accusations that you’re going down a road that is not a good road to go down and I just want to make it known as union president, I am fully prepared to seek any and all legal means necessary to stop my members from being defamed.”
