Lawsuit filed against Rowan County Board of Education, superintendent, high school principal and former basketball coach

A lawsuit has been filed against the Rowan County Board of Education, superintendent, high school principal and a former basketball coach, alleging that the coach sexually abused a student and that school officials failed to investigate the allegations.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Rowan County Circuit Court on May 24, 2023, names the Rowan County Board of Education, Superintendent John Maxey, High School Principal Jordan Mann and former basketball coach Andrew Zaheri as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that Zaheri began sexually abusing the student in 2021, when she was a 16-year-old sophomore at Rowan County High School. The lawsuit alleges that the abuse continued until 2023, when the student graduated from high school.

The lawsuit alleges that the student reported the abuse to Mann in February 2023, but that Mann did not take any action to investigate the allegations. The lawsuit also alleges that Maxey and the Rowan County Board of Education were aware of the allegations, but did nothing to stop the abuse.

The lawsuit seeks damages for the student's emotional distress, medical expenses and lost wages.

The Rowan County Board of Education, Superintendent Maxey and High School Principal Mann have not yet responded to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of sexual abuse allegations against Rowan County school officials. In 2022, a former Rowan County teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a student.

The Rowan County School District has a policy that requires all employees to report allegations of child abuse or neglect to the state Department of Social Services. The policy also requires the district to investigate all allegations of child abuse or neglect.

The district has not released any information about the allegations against Zaheri.