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Wake County: Student sues former Rolesville coach over alleged classroom abuse

A Wake Superior Court filing names Ranier Rackley and the school board. WRAL and the News & Observer write that no criminal charge was filed.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

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File photo: Abhiram Juvvadi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A civil complaint filed in Wake County Superior Court names Ranier Rackley and the Wake County Board of Education. WRAL, the News & Observer, and CBS 17 each described that filing on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. We have not opened the court file ourselves.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • Those three writeups say the complaint alleges Rackley sexually abused a female student in a Rolesville High classroom on or about Nov. 14, 2025, during school hours. The student is not named in the accounts we read.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • The same accounts say the papers accuse him of groping the student and of being "overly affectionate and touchy" with other female students, and that the student later changed schools.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • Those writeups also say the board is accused of failing to train and supervise staff and of not stepping in when it knew or should have known about the conduct.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • WRAL and CBS 17 independently wrote that they found no criminal charge against Rackley in this matter.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • WRAL and the News & Observer, citing a Rolesville Police Department incident report, wrote that a "sexual offense — molestation" call at the high school was logged on Nov. 14 and marked unfounded on Jan. 12.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026
  • The News & Observer reported that Rackley's lawyer, Forrest P. Fallanca, said he denies the allegations in the complaint, respects the legal process, and looks forward to addressing the claims in court.Confirmed by The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026
  • Duke University's official football staff page lists Rackley as director of player development and says he joined that staff in April 2026 after three seasons as Rolesville's head football coach.Confirmed by Duke University athletics staff page for Ranier Rackley (fetched Oct. 23, 2026)
  • WRAL wrote that Rackley, his lawyer, and a Duke spokesperson did not immediately respond. The News & Observer independently wrote that Duke athletics would not discuss the case.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026
  • The News & Observer and CBS 17 both wrote that the district declined to comment because the case is pending. Those two accounts also say Wake kept him off campus on paid status and that he resigned in June.Confirmed by The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026
  • The Wake County Public School System news page had no statement about the case when we checked Friday afternoon. Rolesville High's homepage likewise had no mention of it.Confirmed by WCPSS news page and Rolesville High homepage, fetched Oct. 23, 2026
  • CBS 17 and the News & Observer wrote that the student is seeking at least $25,000. We have not seen a dollar figure on an official court docket.Confirmed by CBS 17, Oct. 23, 2026; The News & Observer, Oct. 23, 2026

Alleged or reported

  • Rackley sexually abused a female student in a Rolesville High classroom on or about Nov. 14, 2025.The civil complaint, as described by WRAL, the News & Observer, and CBS 17. A civil claim is not a finding of liability
  • The Wake County Board of Education failed to train and supervise staff and did not intervene when it knew or should have known about the conduct.The civil complaint, as described by WRAL, the News & Observer, and CBS 17

Still unknown

  • The Wake County Superior Court case number
  • How the court will rule
  • Whether any criminal charge will be filed later
  • Whether Duke will change Rackley's job status
  • Whether the district has told Rolesville High families anything about the case

What this means for you

Schools
Rolesville High is a Wake County public school. The district's news page and the school's homepage had no statement Friday afternoon. The News & Observer and CBS 17 wrote that the district would not discuss a pending case.
Public safety
A civil complaint is not a criminal charge. WRAL and the News & Observer, citing a Rolesville police report, wrote that a related Nov. 14 call was later marked unfounded. This site is not an emergency service. If a child is in danger, call 911.

Instructions from Wake County Public School System news page; Rolesville High homepage; WRAL, the News & Observer, and CBS 17 accounts of the civil filing

This site is not the Wake County Public School System, Rolesville police, or the courts. For school questions, use wcpss.net. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Wake County, a civil complaint accuses a former Rolesville High teacher of sexually abusing a student in a classroom last November.

The Superior Court filing names Ranier Rackley and the Wake County Board of Education, according to Friday accounts from WRAL, the News & Observer, and station CBS 17. Triangle Local has not opened that court file.

Those writeups say the papers allege the abuse happened on or about Nov. 14, 2025, during school hours. The plaintiff is not named. We are not identifying that person.

The three outlets write that the complaint accuses Rackley of groping the student and of being "overly affectionate and touchy" with other female students. They also say the student later changed schools. Those are claims in a civil case. They have not been proven.

The same accounts say the board failed to train and supervise staff and did not step in when it knew or should have known about the conduct.

WRAL and CBS 17 independently reported they found no criminal charge against him in this matter. WRAL and the newspaper, citing a Rolesville Police Department incident report, said a "sexual offense — molestation" call at the high school was logged on Nov. 14 and marked unfounded on Jan. 12.

A civil lawsuit is not a finding of guilt. He is presumed not liable unless a court finds otherwise.

The News & Observer reported that his lawyer, Forrest P. Fallanca, said he denies the allegations in the complaint, respects the process, and looks forward to addressing the claims in court.

Duke University's official football staff page lists Rackley as director of player development and says he joined that staff in April 2026 after three seasons as Rolesville's head football coach. WRAL wrote that he, his counsel, and a Duke spokesperson did not immediately respond. The newspaper separately wrote that Duke athletics would not discuss the case.

CBS 17 and the News & Observer both said the district stayed silent because the case is pending. Those two accounts also say Wake kept him off campus on paid status and that he resigned in June. The district's public news page had no statement about the matter when we checked Friday afternoon. Rolesville High's homepage likewise had no mention of it.

Those two writeups listed the damages request as at least $25,000. We could not read an official docket that showed that figure.

Rolesville High is a Wake County public school. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No outlet photos are used here.

Why it matters

Rolesville High is a Wake County public school. Families need a clear account of what the civil papers allege, what a police report recorded, and that no criminal charge has been reported.

Updates

  1. Oct 23, 2026, 2:00 PM

    WRAL, the News & Observer, and CBS 17 describe a Wake Superior Court complaint naming Ranier Rackley and the school board. Duke's staff page lists him as director of player development. Those outlets report no criminal charge.

Sources

  1. Ranier Rackley staff biography (Duke University athletics: director of player development; joined the football staff in April 2026; Rolesville High head coach for three seasons, 2023-25. This file does not use the page's email, phone, family names, or win-loss line.)

    Official sourcePublished by Duke University · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

  2. WCPSS district news page (no statement on the Rolesville civil case when checked Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, 2026)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake County Public School System · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

  3. Rolesville High School homepage (no statement on the civil case when checked Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, 2026)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake County Public School System · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

  4. Student sues former Rolesville coach, Wake County in civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse (WRAL, Brian Murphy and Emily Walkenhorst, posted 12:49 p.m. Eastern Oct. 23, 2026: Wake County Superior Court complaint names Ranier Rackley and the Wake County Board of Education; alleged abuse on Nov. 14 at Rolesville High during school hours; student not named; groping alleged; 'overly affectionate and touchy' with other female students; student transferred; no criminal charges; Rolesville PD 'sexual offense — molestation' report marked unfounded Jan. 12; Rackley, lawyer, and Duke did not immediately respond. This file does not use the birth year WRAL printed or outlet photos.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

  5. High school student sues football coach, Wake schools, alleging sexual abuse (The News & Observer, T. Keung Hui and Steve Wiseman, updated 7:47 a.m. Oct. 23, 2026: Wake County Superior Court; Jane Doe; Nov. 14, 2025 classroom allegation; Forrest P. Fallanca denial; Wake declined comment; Duke athletics declined comment; paid status then June 15 resignation; Rolesville PD report unfounded Jan. 12; seeking more than $25,000. This file does not use the newspaper's graphic classroom quotations, the July filing month, or its file photo.)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

  6. Lawsuit accuses ex-Rolesville High teacher, football coach of abuse (CBS 17, Mary Smith, posted 12:02 p.m. Eastern Oct. 23, 2026: Wake County Superior Court; alleged classroom abuse in November 2025; student not named; later changed schools; 'overly affectionate and touchy'; seeking at least $25,000; district no comment, confirms paid leave then June resignation; no Wake criminal charges found; Duke director of player development. The full page returned 403 here; this file uses the RSS lede plus the station text we could read in search results.)

    Published by CBS 17 (WNCN) · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 1:50 PM

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