Pat Dollard

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Dayton Daily News
MIDDLETOWN — A family with an extensive history of legal action against a number of school districts and municipalities has filed a $1 million civil lawsuit against Middletown City Schools.

Orlando Bethel — who refers to himself as a fire and brimstone preacher in court documents, and his wife, Glynis — filed the action Friday in Cincinnati federal court after one of their three children, Zoe, wore a T-shirt at the high school proclaiming “god hates (expletive)” and “repent or burn in hell.”

Glynis Bethel told Local 12 WKRC on Wednesday that “We cannot home school or put them in private Christian school in peace without the government telling us they need to be in public school. Our solution is to sue and have the whole thing done away with.”

Zoe Bethel said, “Some of the staff there they just was kind of shocked, they were saying it wasn’t appropriate.”

Debbie Alberico, the district’s communication’s specialist, said the student’s T-shirt was in clear violation of the district’s code of conduct, which states that anything disruptive to the educational process is not allowed.

“Our school administrators followed board policy,” she said.

Glynis Bethel did not return a call seeking comment Monday afternoon.

The Bethels have filed more than 50 similar federal lawsuits — mostly in the South — against school districts, police agencies, villages and cities. In January, the couple filed suit against the Boone County Board of Education in Florence, Ky. The suit included Zoe Bethel — and two other children, Kezia and Zion — alleging their constitutional and civil rights were violated.

In that suit, they contend the Kentucky compulsory attendance laws are unconstitutional and their rights — including freedom of speech and free exercise of religion — were violated.

On Friday, Orlando Bethel was arrested by Middletown police at the high school and charged with obstructing official business when officers attempted to talk with Zoe Bethel, according to a police report. According to a police report from School Resource Officer Phil Salm, officers were investigating to determine if the student was being forced by her parents to wear the T-shirt in question.

“We even witnessed an incident on the 7th (of April) where Glynis Bethel, being the mother, had forced Zoe to put on her shirt and walk around at the end of the school as mom gave a sermon to some of the kids out underneath the awning and also made Zoe walk around as she filmed her coming back and forth from the car,” Salm wrote. “Zoe looked highly upset about this. She looked embarrassed as if she didn’t want to do it and it almost appeared to us that she was being forced against her will.”

When the girl refused answer any questions, Butler County Children Services was contacted to assist with the investigation, according to police.

According to police, Orlando Bethel caused a disturbance when he showed up at the high school on Friday as police tried to talk with Zoe and Zion Bethel, a son, for the investigation.

He was then arrested and taken to the Middletown City Jail.

Zoe and Zion Bethel were transported to Cincinnati by Children Services workers while their mother was at the federal courthouse, according to the police report.

Superintendent Greg Rasmussen said Middletown schools has not received any official documents from the court, but Susan Combs, the district’s director of learning, is aware the Bethel family has filed an affidavit.

“We will go from there, based on what we get back from the courts,” Rasmussen said.

The Bethels are well known throughout the South for similar suits, most of which are thrown out of court.

Baldwin County, Ala., has been battling the Bethels in court for years, according to court documents.

Orlando Bethel appeared in Middletown Municipal Court Monday morning, when he entered a no contest plea to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. He was given a $150 fine and a 30-day suspended jail sentence.

Police say the Bethel children were not in school Monday. According to the police report, the family may be heading to Tennessee.