Milford Exempted Village Schools voted unanimously to suspend athletic director Aaron Zupka without pay and begin the process of terminating his contract at a board meeting Thursday evening.The district announced in November tha t Zupka had been placed on administrative leave for personnel reasons. While they provided little information, the district said Ennis Britton Consulting Group would conduct its investigation.Investigators with the firm spoke to multiple people involved in allegations against a coach, and others involved in Milford's athletic programs, including volunteer coaches and parents.The investigation found that Zupka failed to report rumors he'd heard a year ago that one of the high school's coaches possessed inappropriate photographs of athletes. However, it found that when allegations were formally presented to school officials on April 24, the district initiated an investigation promptly."The assistant superintendent and the superintendent responded appropriately once informed," reads the report. "The athletic director acted promptly to address the coaching conflict but failed to escalate serious rumors and later permitted a questionable off-site gathering."Zupka told investigators he had no prior knowledge of any misconduct allegations until after the 2024-25 season, when the head coach said he overheard the assistant mention it. Zupka said he immediately confronted the assistant coach, who denied any wrongdoing and said it was a rumor started by former volunteer coaches who wanted him removed.WATCH: We get reaction to the suspension vote minutes after it happens District votes to suspend athletic director without pay, begin termination processThe athletic director said that because no one had seen the alleged photographs and no students were identified, he did not initiate further action.Investigators recommended a written reprimand for the athletic director, as well as the completion of mandated training and implementation of performance reviews.The investigation concluded by saying, "If further violations or lapses occur, the district may have grounds to pursue progressive discipline, up to and including termination, consistent with contract terms and board policy."Interim superintendent TJ Glassmeyer listed other accusations against the assistant director in a publicly filed resolution, claiming Zupka misappropriated at least $91,000 in sponsorship funds.We spoke with Zupka's attorney, Mark Byrne, ahead of Thursday's meeting. He told us the allegations are untrue, and if Zupka's contract was terminated at the meeting, Zupka would consider filing a lawsuit for defamation and slander against the district and the board.Byrne also said Zupka plans to file a demand for a hearing.WCPO's Sean DeLancey was at Milford's packed board meeting Thursday, where the board voted unanimously to move forward with the resolution and terminate Zupka.During the opportunity for public comment, no one took the podium to speak or filled out a comment card.Afterward, we talked with Rich Jordan, who has lived in the district for 33 years."I'm glad that it's come out in public, and I'm glad that the board is handling it in an orderly manner," Jordan said.We asked him whether he was afraid of the potential for litigation if the board moved forward with terminating Zupka."I'm concerned about that, but the board has been mum about that, and the fact that they have been tells us that they are being careful," he said.Sean DeLancey covered the Milford board meeting for WCPO. You can contact him here:In a statement Thursday night, the district said Zupka has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the termination process.The district pointed to its full public meeting agenda for details behind its reasoning."This decision to initiate termination proceedings against Mr. Zupka followed an extensive review conducted in accordance with established district procedures," the statement read.The district said under Ohio law, a formal process will take place in which Zupka can request a hearing. At that hearing, both Zupka and the Milford Board of Education can present evidence before a referee, who would make a final decision.During the interim period, according to the district, athletic activities will continue as scheduled and additional oversight measures have been implemented to support stability.The district said there would be no further comment.Byrne released a statement after the vote, shown below. Aaron has been a dedicated and loyal employee of the Milford district over the last 7 years as its Athletic Director. Overall he has served in the capacity of an AD for over 15 years. He was previously selected as being an Athletic Director of the year for the state of Ohio in 2021. In 2023 he was the recipient of an award for Southwest Ethics and Integrity for ADs On Tuesday afternoon the Milford school board was informed that the reasons offered as a basis for the proposed termination of Aarons contract either did not merit their intended action or in numerous instances were just plain false. Nevertheless after being informed that the majority of the reasons that the Board was relying on for its proposed termination decision were untrue the Board decided to publicly defame Aaron with these distorted allegations. Consequently Aaron intends to explore and ultimately exercise all of the legal options available to him resulting from the Boards rogue actions Aaron appreciates and is thankful for the public support he has received from the students and parents at Milford. Over the period of time he served the District his decisions were always made in the best interests of the District, its students and parents. It is disappointing that the opportunity to continue to serve in the capacity as its AD has ended. Regardless it is Aarons fervent wish that the Milford students and parents continue to experience success in all of their future endeavors. ...read more read less