WEWOKA SCHOOLS SETTLE FEDERAL CIVIL LAWSUIT, $2 MILLION PAYOUT TO PLAINTIFFS OVER 3 YEARS

WEWOKA, Okla. –

Wewoka Public Schools is paying nearly $2 million dollar to settle a federal civil lawsuit after a Wewoka Middle School principal was accused of sexually abusing students.

A lawsuit representing four students claims the district did not protect its students, despite being notified of sexual misconduct, which the district denies in court documents.

Cody Barlow was the Wewoka Middle School principal who was arrested after an OSBI investigation in 2022.

Court documents say Barlow inappropriately touched male students on campus and during school hours.

The settlement comes out to $1.95 million dollars to be split between the four plaintiffs, who are all minors.

The district has been ordered to pay $1 million within the next 30 days, and the other $950,000 will be paid over the next three years from the district’s sinking fund.

The school district said it is not liable for the claims in this case, and that Barlow is no longer with the district.

Barlow now faces six charges of lewd acts with a child, and his trial is set to begin in September.