Alyssa Foster was 13 and in trouble again at her middle school. She got sent to meet Ronnie Stoner, an administrator who was supposed to help her with behavioral challenges. Instead, she said, Ronnie Stoner sexually abused her in his office. The alleged abuse continued the rest of the school year.
When she reported Ronnie in 2022 to Jefferson County Public Schools, it was the third documented complaint school staff had received about him by girls and young women since 2014. But the district continued to promote him.
Part 2 of “The Girls” shows how school staff and investigators believed Ronnie, a well-liked football coach and educator, instead of several girls who had behavioral issues and troubled home lives.
This episode also reveals a gap in reporting requirements that may have protected Ronnie from further investigation — a gap Kentucky state lawmakers have had an opportunity to address, but year after year, decide not to.
We also talk to a researcher who explains how allegations against Ronnie fit into a wider and understudied phenomenon of educator sexual misconduct, and why lax reporting requirements and bare-bones training allow it to continue in schools across the U.S.
If you have information about this case, or you think there’s something we should know that we haven’t reported here, please contact Jess Clark at jclark@kycir.org or 502-814-6541.
Hearing stories like this one can bring up painful feelings and memories, especially if you're a trauma survivor yourself. If you need to talk, you can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, or visit RAINN.org and click get help now for free, 24/7 support. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
