Rowan County Schools settles with victim of former coach convicted of rape
MOREHEAD, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Rowan County Board of Education has settled a lawsuit filed by a former student who was sexually abused by a school employee.
Andrew Zaherihe was 39 years old lecturer He serves as an assistant coach at Rowan County High School and the Rowan County boys’ basketball team. He pleaded guilty in 2024 to multiple counts of rape, sodomy and solicitation of sexual performance on minor charges.
A year ago, the victim, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, blamed the Rowan County Board of Education, Jordan Mann, former principal of Rowan County High School, and John Maxey, former superintendent of Rowan County Schools. for turning a blind eye to the harassment he was subjected to.. Discovery of the case exposed disturbing messages between Mann and Zaheri and led to a campus-wide strike in 2025.
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In a statement dated Feb. 9, the Rowan County superintendent announced that the board of education had signed a $3 million settlement agreement.
“While the settlement agreement states that settlement does not mean acceptance of responsibility,
“While Mr. Zacheri is responsible for these actions, we want to take all steps we can to prevent this behavior from occurring again in the future,” Inspector Michael Rowe wrote. While all staff receive annual abuse training and duties to report abuse, neglect and addiction, our attorneys will provide training during this period on the duties all school employees must avoid and the obligation to report any inappropriate behavior to the appropriate authorities. We wish Jane Doe success in her future. “We hope this important agreement will make his financial life less stressful.”
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FOX 56 has reached out to Jane Doe’s representative for more information.
The investigator said Zaheri was serving a 22-year sentence at a federal prison in Michigan.
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