Former UK player, Scott County coach accused of ‘explicit, sexual’ talk with students

Former University of Kentucky basketball player Sean Woods, now on paid leave as Scott County High School’s basketball coach, engaged in “extremely explicit, sexual communication” with a female student and made “inappropriate comments” to her, state child protection officials said in a March 17 letter to Woods.

That letter notified Woods that the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services had substantiated claims of child abuse or neglect against him after investigating allegations. The letter was obtained by the Herald-Leader through Tosha Williamson, a Scott County parent, who provided the newspaper with several documents she obtained from Scott County Schools via the Kentucky Open Records Act. The Herald-Leader has requested these documents but has not yet received the records from Scott County.

State officials launched an investigation into allegations against Woods after being notified by the school district, the records show.

“Upon investigation of the allegations, it was discovered that Sean Woods ... often engaged in inappropriate and sexualized talk with (a female student) on numerous occasions, starting a few weeks into the 2025-2026 school year,” according to the letter to Woods.

Woods had not responded by noon Thursday to multiple requests for comment from the Herald-Leader about the allegations and the investigations that led to him being placed on leave.

Woods has not been charged with a crime. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations against Woods, but confirmed previously it has found no evidence of criminal activity. This week, Scott Sheriff’s Lt. Robert Tackett told the Herald-Leader there were “no new developments” in the department’s open criminal investigation.

Woods, who was a member of the University of Kentucky’s “Unforgettables” basketball team in 1992, was named head coach of the Scott County High School boys’ basketball team in 2025.

A child protection official said in the March 17 letter to Woods there was a substantiated claim that Woods posed a threat of sexual abuse with a specific student identified as the victim.

The letter from the Cabinet to Woods said, in part:

“On November 19th, 2025, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Community Based Services received a report of suspected child abuse or neglect as defined in Kentucky Revised Statute regarding a child in your care.

“Based upon the information received through the investigation of this report the allegations have been found to be substantiated. The role of DCBS in investigation reports of child abuse or neglect is to assess for safety threats and risk factors to the child(ren) and to make efforts to protect the child(ren) from further safety threats and minimize risk factors.”

DCBS said in the letter it is not responsible for criminal prosecution.

However, the letter said if Woods did not request an administrative hearing within 30 calendar days of the letter, the substantiation of abuse or neglect would be added to a central registry.

“This finding may be the basis for denying certain rights and privileges, such as approval for foster parenting, adoption, or employment as required by state or federal laws,” the letter said.

It was not clear if Woods requested a hearing or if he intends to do so.

The finding means that state officials found there could be a risk of the victim being subjected to sexual abuse or exploitation if Woods were to have supervision of the victim, according to the letter.

Sean Woods accused of repeated sexual discussions

Among the claims that Woods had inappropriate conversations with students, one female student alleged that Woods asked her and her friends if they were having sex and asked her if she had experienced certain acts.

“(The female student) also disclosed an incident where Sean called her up to his desk and asked her what she did that weekend,” the letter says. “According to (the student), while showing Sean a picture on her phone, Sean instructed her to turn and have her back to the other students in the classroom so they could not read his lips, then proceeded to say ‘show me something good’ referencing her photos while standing extremely close to her.”

The student also said Woods asked inappropriate intimate questions to a male friend of the student.

Other students could not confirm what Woods said to the female student, but “multiple students reported to the school that Sean (Woods) showed favoritism toward (the female student) and another student, stating he was often seen pulling their hair, whispering in their ears and touching shoulders,“ the letter said.

The investigation “found that Sean Woods was in violation of (state law) when he engaged in extremely explicit, sexual communication with (the female student) asking her questions,“ and making “other inappropriate comments,” the letter said.

Scott County Schools did not find wrongdoing

Records shared by Williamson also show developments in Scott County Schools’ own investigation into the issues, which was separate from the state case. Scott County Schools initially did not find any wrongdoing by Woods, according to a letter from Scott County Schools Superintendent Billy Parker to Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher.

“While the results of our internal investigation did not substantiate any claim of wrongdoing, the basis for this report is to ensure transparency and compliance,” Parker said in the letter. “School district personnel also immediately reported this allegation to both the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) and local law enforcement.”

Still, Scott County Schools put together a corrective action plan for Woods on Jan. 3, which also was shared in the documents. The plan required that he engage in professional learning and reflection to improve practice and decision-making and maintain professional, respectful, and timely communication with students, families, colleagues, and administrators.

Three months later, on March 3, Parker sent Woods a letter notifying him that he would be suspended with pay due to the state’s investigation.

“I am suspending your employment as a teacher with this School District with pay until further notice, pending resolution of a recent state agency communication,” Parker said. “Upon resolution of the state agency communication reference above, I will determine the next appropriate course of action. During this time, you must remain available for recall to active service if notified by me. Nothing about this letter or its attachment prevents further action in the interim if appropriate.”

Scott County Schools officials have repeatedly declined to identify Woods, but when asked Wednesday about the issue, district spokesperson Renee Holmes told the Herald-Leader, “An employee at Scott County High School has been placed on leave pending resolution of proceedings, including any appeals, with a Kentucky state agency. The employee will not be returning for the 2026-2027 school year.”

School district officials did not provide additional comment for this story.

This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 9:23 AM.