A former Rolesville High School football coach who now works on Duke's football staff is facing a civil lawsuit alleging he sexually abused a ninth-grade student in his classroom last November. The lawsuit names Ranier Rackley and the Wake County school system as defendants, accusing Rackley of grabbing and groping the student in November 2025 while he was a teacher at the school.
The complaint, according to The News & Observer, alleges that Jane Doe stayed after class on Nov. 14, 2025, to help tidy Rackley's classroom. It claims he touched her breasts under her shirt, then lifted her and groped her breasts and buttocks. Jane Doe was a ninth grader in his class, and the complaint says she later transferred to another school.
The complaint also alleges Rackley was known at Rolesville High for being overly affectionate and touchy with female students. It accuses Wake County of failing to supervise him adequately. Jane Doe's family is seeking more than $25,000 in compensatory damages from the district, as well as punitive damages against Rackley and the district, the newspaper reported.
Coach Denies Allegations, District Stays Silent
Rackley denies the allegations. His attorney, Forrest P. Fallanca, said Rackley respects the legal process and looks forward to addressing the claims in court, according to the newspaper. Wake County declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit, and Duke Athletics also declined to comment when contacted by the paper.
A Rolesville police incident report records a sexual-offense molestation complaint at the high school on Nov. 14, 2025, the date cited in the lawsuit. The report listed the case status as unfounded as of Jan. 12, 2026, according to The News & Observer.
A Seven-Month Gap Before Resignation
Wake County told The News & Observer that Rackley remained in paid status but did not return to work from Nov. 18, 2025, through June 15, 2026. The district said he did not teach or coach and was not at the school during that period. His resignation from Wake County schools took effect June 15.
Rackley announced in April that he was leaving Rolesville High for a position with Duke's football program. That announcement came during the period in which Wake County says he was already away from his school duties.
From Classroom Aide to College Coaching Staff
Rackley's path through Wake County schools began in August 2017, when he was hired as a special education instructional assistant at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. He went on to become the junior varsity head coach and running backs coach there from 2017 through 2019, according to his staff biography on Duke Athletics' website.
He later became a career and technical education teacher at Rolesville High and was named the school's head football coach, a post he held for three seasons. Duke's staff bio credits him with leading the Rams to a 35-8 record and a 2024 NCHSAA 4A state runner-up finish, while HighSchoolOT reported a 25-8 record over the same three seasons and noted Rolesville went 9-4 in 2025, finishing second in its league behind Millbrook. The two outlets' figures conflict and neither has been reconciled.
Rackley joined Duke's football staff in April 2026 as director of player development, a role in which he helps student-athletes stay organized, navigate personal matters and prepare for their careers, according to the university's site. He also assists with Duke's recruiting operation, the team's roster page states.
Part of a Broader Pattern in North Carolina Schools
The case adds to a string of sexual misconduct allegations involving North Carolina school employees in recent years. From January 2016 through October 2022, 124 teacher licenses in the state were suspended, revoked or voluntarily surrendered over sexual misconduct with students, the newspaper previously reported. State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said an internet search during that period turned up 20 more cases involving nonlicensed school employees who were convicted of sexual misconduct with students, and she said more than 50 school employees had been charged or were under active investigation.
North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction notes that a professional educator's license can be subject to discipline for misconduct, including failing to report suspected child abuse, according to the agency's guidance. State law also requires schools to train employees who work directly with students on recognizing grooming behavior, warning signs of abuse, and how to respond when abuse is suspected or disclosed, per the North Carolina General Assembly's statute on the subject.
How educator licensing review differs
North Carolina's educator-licensing process is separate from a police case: under Department of Public Instruction rules, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may file written charges with the State Board of Education after finding reasonable cause to believe a license should be suspended or revoked. The board reviews those charges; that licensing review is distinct from the police case status and does not resolve the civil lawsuit.
