The Tecumseh Board of Education voted unanimously to place Superintendent Robert Kinsey and Assistant Superintendent Brandi Burks on administrative leave effective immediately, following a special meeting Tuesday that included roughly 45 minutes behind closed doors. The move brings the total number of district employees on leave to six, as a police investigation tied to head football coach Randon Lowe continues to widen.
Board president Iva Bingham said the decision stems directly from the expanding investigation, telling the board that the leave for Kinsey and Burks is connected to the police department's broadening inquiry involving Lowe. According to koco.com, Tecumseh police opened a criminal investigation into Lowe after students came forward with allegations against him, and the department has said several female students reported inappropriate behavior by the coach. Police have not arrested Lowe, and no charges have been filed against anyone connected to the case.
Bingham was careful to frame the board's action as procedural rather than punitive. “Administrative leave is not disciplinary and is not a conclusion about anyone,” she said, according to the station's report. She added that leadership questions will run through her office until an interim administrator is named, while payroll and invoices will continue processing as they traditionally do.
Investigation Widens Beyond the Football Coach
Lowe was first placed on administrative leave in September pending the outcome of the inquiry, per okcfox.com. By mid-October, the station reported that the joint investigation — handled by the Tecumseh Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation — had expanded to include additional employees beyond the coach himself.
Less than two weeks before Tuesday's board vote, three more Tecumseh High School employees were placed on administrative leave in connection with the case: Principal Jaime Griggs, Athletic Director Casi Bays — spelled Casi Bayes in the same outlet's earlier report — and school counselor Erin Meyers. Police have said those employees' involvement relates to how the original allegations were handled, including questions around mandatory reporting. The district told families at the time that the leave for those three was likewise not disciplinary, and koco.com reported that investigators are examining how the allegations were handled.
There are now six total district employees on leave, and the board has not named an acting superintendent, the station's report noted. A separate account from the same outlet indicated the investigation may touch both a report from the previous school year and new allegations from this year.
No Charges Filed, Case Still With Investigators
Individuals placed on leave have not had any formal charges filed against them, and Tecumseh police have not arrested Lowe, with koco.com reporting the allegations remain under review. KFOR reported that Lowe has not been arrested as the allegations have not yet been proven, and that the department plans to submit the case to the Pottawatomie County District Attorney's Office for review and a determination on any criminal charges once the investigation concludes. The same station reported that Mike Montano is serving as interim head coach for the football team while the investigation continues.
The board also voted unanimously to table the appointment of an interim superintendent during Tuesday's meeting, saying it plans to actively seek an administrator to fill that role. Bingham asked the public to be patient, noting that some district business may take longer to process while staffing remains incomplete. When asked by KOKH for additional details about the investigation and its implications for Tecumseh Public Schools, the board declined to comment.
Why the Meeting Was Rescheduled
Tuesday's special meeting had originally been delayed; Tecumseh Public Schools said the original agenda for one item lacked a statutory citation required under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, prompting the reschedule before the board could formally vote on the administrators' employment status.
