Iowa School Board Settles One Suit in Alleged Abuse Incident

Hinton agrees to settle one of three civil suits from allegations of abuse by wrestlers

The Oskaloosa School Board meets during a special meeting to vote on a recommendation to fire a teacher accused of posting a controversial post about Charlie Kirk on Sept. 17, 2025, at Oskaloosa High School. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the three civil suits filed against the Hinton Community School District has been settled.

According to a report by The Le Mars Sentinel, a civil suit brought forward from allegations of abuse by Hinton High School wrestlers in 2024 has been settled. The school board voted 3-1 in favor on Monday during a meeting to authorize the settlement reached by the district’s insurance carrier.

That settlement went to one of the alleged victims and his parents. Two more civil suits are set to go to trial in January 2026 and February 2026.

The parents of the three former wrestlers sued Hinton Community School District, Casey Crawford, Bradley Skuodas, Ken Slater and Brian DeJong, alleging negligence, negligent training and supervision of employees and loss of consortium.

All three of the lawsuits were filed based on an alleged incident that took place during the annual state wrestling duals tournament held in Coralville in February 2024. The event takes place before the traditional state wrestling championships each year in Des Moines.

The settlement was reached in an effort to settle rather than bring the matter to court. The jury trial case was set to begin in November. 

Hinton has Replaced Several Key Figures Since Alleged Incident

Crawford was the head coach of the Hinton wrestling program during the time of the alleged incident. He has since resigned, as has DeJong, who was the athletic director, and Hinton principal Phil Goetstouwers.

The school reassigned two students and suspended others while also preventing them from competing in postseason tournaments in 2024.

Jordan Langley was listed as the head wrestling coach for the Blackhawks last year and is expected to return this season, according to Bound.

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