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Nearly one year after being placed on administrative leave by the Olympia School District (OSD) for alleged sexual harassment, Ryan Akiyama, a former Yelm High School (YHS) principal, remains on leave from his teaching job in the district.
According to reporting by Alesha Perkins on Substack, Akiyama has been on administrative leave from OSD since June 2025 for allegations of sexual harassment. According to her reporting, a third-party investigation led to the final conclusion that Akiyama lied during the investigation on multiple occasions — including denying that he had previously been investigated, denying prior discipline in Yelm and allegedly providing false information on his employment application to OSD.
Additionally, the investigation found that Akiyama engaged in sexual harassment and concluded that three students were sexually harrassed in violation of district Policy 3205 — and that his conduct contributed to a classroom atmosphere that was hostile to students on the basis of sex.
The investigation also concluded that Akiyama failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students on 14 counts.
According to the Substack article, a parent wrote to Olympia High School (OHS) Principal Matt Grant in June of 2025 to express their concern “regarding inappropriate and unprofessional behavior” displayed by the teacher.
The email read: “(Redacted) has shared that Mr. Akiyama has made several comments about her appearance, including rating her outfits and making personal remarks that have made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Additionally, he appears to give her preferential treatment and has granted special exceptions not extended to other students. These actions have made (redacted) feel uneasy and singled out, and she has been afraid to report them out of concern that her grade could be negatively impacted. It is my understanding that several other female students — specifically cheerleaders — have experienced similar behavior from Mr. Akiyama. I've been told that some of these students have reported their concerns, yet no apparent action has been taken. This is deeply troubling and raises serious questions about how these reports are addressed. As her parent, I am deeply concerned for my daughter’s safety and overall well being. I respectfully request that this matter be looked into with urgency and that steps be taken to ensure a safe, respectful and professional classroom environment for (redacted) and all students. I would also like to request that (redacted) be removed from Mr. Akiyama’s classroom as soon as possible.”
In June 2025, OSD enlisted a third party investigation for review, and Akiyama was placed on administrative leave at that point.
The teacher denied the student allegations and stated the remarks were intended as an attempt to help students feel seen and valued.
Akiyama also suggested the complaints were part of a politically motivated smear by conservative families after he faced backlash on social media last spring regarding a post of his referencing “killing fascists.” His post depicted a selfie of himself with a sign that stated “this teacher kills fascists.”
The caption of the post read, “Flying this little flag on my hydration pack during the Leavenworth SkyRace this weekend. Might need to print it on a t-shirt for all my fellow WOKE DEI educators still showing up with courage and care. Yes, I’m woke. Yes, I teach DEI. No, I’m not sorry if that triggers the willfully ignorant.”
Three years before being hired by OSD, Akiyama served as the principal of YHS and was ultimately placed on administrative leave in 2019 after an arrest for DUI and possession of a deadly weapon. He allegedly possessed brass knuckles during the time of the arrest.
Previous reporting from the Nisqually Valley News on Thursday, May 16, 2019, stated that Yelm Community Schools (YCS) was looking to “start clean” and begin a search for a new principal to lead YHS after Akiyama’s arrest in April 2019.
“I ultimately made the decision that the information was such that trust was broken and we had to go in a different direction with respect to leadership at the high school,” former superintendent Brian Wharton said in May 2019. “The process of adjudication could take years. Do you want that to be the focus at the high school, or do you want the students and their learning to be the focus?”
Akiyama was placed on administrative leave at Yelm and demoted from his position as principal of YHS. He later pled guilty to reckless driving in Nov. 2019 and was ordered to pay $533. He was also placed on probation and handed a suspended jail sentence.
The court imposed a jail sentence of 364 days with 364 days suspended, meaning Akiyama would’ve avoided jail as long as he didn’t commit additional crimes. His probation included breath and urine testing, a substance abuse evaluation, alcohol information school and a victims panel, according to court documents, according to previous reporting from the Nisqually Valley News in Dec. 2019.
You can read Perkins’ full report online on Substack here: https://tinyurl.com/OSDleave.
