Norwich Board of Ed to request info from NFA on investigations

Norwich — After discussing behind closed doors concerns over a former Norwich Free Academy coach charged with sexual assault, the Board of Education said Tuesday it will send a letter to NFA requesting information about the actions of its personnel and the ongoing investigations.

The Board of Education also wants to know “the steps NFA plans to take to remediate this situation.”

“Clearly, any allegation of sexual contact with students causes grave concerns about their safety and well-being,” Board of Education Chairwoman Yvette Jacaruso

said in reading aloud a news statement from the board following the executive session, which was more than an hour and a half long. “The Board is taking action to ensure that NFA has in place policies and procedures designed to protect students, that NFA holds its personnel accountable to state laws with respect to mandated reporting, as well as assurances from NFA officials that such safety procedures will be implemented with fidelity in the future.”

“The Board is also seeking representation and the opportunity to advocate for Norwich students in the development of any remediation plans as NFA addresses the important issues of safety raised by these allegations,” she added. “The Board is expecting NFA’s prompt response and cooperation with the Board’s requests.”

The letter to the chair of NFA’s board of trustees and the head of NFA, which was in draft form on Tuesday evening, will be sent today, according to Norwich Superintendent of Schools Abby I. Dolliver.

Dolliver, along with Assistant Superintendent Thomas J. Baird, Director of Student Services and Special Education Jamie Bender, Business Administrator Athena Nagel and attorneys Anne Littlefield and Ashley Marshall from Shipman and Goodwin joined the board in the executive session Tuesday in the Kelly STEAM Magnet Middle School Community Room.

In September, Norwich police charged Anthony Facchini, a former assistant coach at Norwich Free Academy, with two counts of second-degree sexual assault. The arrest followed an investigation that found Facchini, 25, of Norwich, allegedly had sexual relations with two female NFA students, police said.

NFA fired Facchini in July, as police investigated allegations reported to the state Department of Children and Families.

Police are investigating how the school handled the allegations, and Sarette Williams, chair of the Norwich Free Academy board of trustees, said last month that her board is conducting its own investigation.

Warrants revealed that the school administration knew about the allegations of the first student as far back as April 2017, The Day has reported.

Williams sent a letter Monday that invited parents and guardians to contact the school with any questions, and also outlined NFA’s response to the allegations.

“In 2017, NFA conducted a two-day formal investigation into a former student’s involvement with the accused,” Williams wrote in the letter. “The investigation included consideration for the involved student to be interviewed by a female NFA administrator in a private setting. Based on the statements of the student and the coach, the claims of suspected abuse were determined to be unsubstantiated; therefore, NFA did not report the matter to DCF. Unfortunately, we now know from recently published sworn police affidavits that the accused and the former student provided false statements to NFA staff.”

Williams added that “NFA has fully and voluntarily cooperated with all official inquiries from law enforcement including access to computers and (cellphones), internal documents and communications, and personnel interviews.”

The Lisbon Board of Education is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Lisbon Central School to discuss in a proposed executive session an “Attorney-Client Privilege Written Memorandum” pertaining to the NFA investigation, according to the agenda. The board then may take action related to the NFA investigation, the agenda states.

The Norwich Free Academy Foundation had a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. When asked if the foundation would discuss the investigation, Kathy McCarthy, director of institutional advancement, said by email that “proceedings of the NFA Foundation Inc., as a private foundation, are not open to the public,” including Tuesday’s, which was a regularly-scheduled meeting.

Williams said in the letter Monday that no money from tuition or the NFA Foundation will go toward the trustees’ investigation or any legal expenses.