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BELLWOOD -- In a unanimous vote, the Bellwood-Antis School Board Tuesday night approved a settlement with apparently one of two teenage sexual assault victims in relation to the actions of former middle school wrestling coach Ryan Blazier.
There was no discussion among the board members or questions about the terms of the agreement, as the vote moved forward quickly and the meeting advanced to the next section.
District solicitor Carl Beard Sr. declined to comment on the terms of the settlement following the meeting, saying the district would not make a statement on the agreement without a right-to-know request for the information.
The settlement seems to be with only one of the two victims.
The move comes after jurors were dismissed in a Blair County Court civil case in October, pointing to the possibility of a settlement between the district and the victim out of court.
The civil case developed after Blazier was initially accused of sexual assault by two student wrestlers. Blazier was convicted on seven charges in October 2021 and was sentenced to 21 to 42 years in prison.
The students contended that the district didn't do enough to prevent the abuse from happening and sought to hold it accountable for its lack of action. The district denied those allegations, saying that Blazier was solely culpable for his crimes.