Masuk’s Christy reinstated by Monroe Board of Education
MONROE — Six months later Steve Christy is back.
Monroe’s Board of Education voted Thursday night to return Christy to his post as Masuk football coach for the 2024 season after an investigation into the program that began in the summer and outlasted the football season, spurring powerful emotions around town.
The board spent a half hour in executive session before returning with board chairman David Ferris asking for a motion to approve a settlement agreement to bring Christy back. Two members abstained but none voted against.
Christy, who had been on leave since July, spoke briefly in the hallway to players that were in attendance while the board went on with other business.
He said he couldn’t comment on the settlement details and any conditions it may place on his employment. But he did say that he expected 2024 would be his last at Masuk, completing a run with a group he coached as youth football players.
“I’m going out with my sixth-grade class,” Christy said.
Ferris said he couldn’t
FOOTBALL discuss the agreement until he signs it, it goes through both the board’s and Christy’s attorneys and it is returned to the board.
“It brings him back for the 2024 season with some conditions that, as Jeff said, address our concerns,” Ferris said.
That’s board member Jeff Fulchino, who was the only one to speak when the motion was brought up for discussion, saying he’d vote yes for two reasons.
“The agreement sets forth specific conditions for Coach Christy and his staff,” he said. “These conditions speak to and address the concerns that I had in this matter.
“Second, it’s no secret that this matter has taken way too long and divided our community, and I would really like to put that division to rest and move forward.”
Numerous Christy supporters cheered when Ferris read that the motion would bring Christy back, then again after the vote.
“We’ve been waiting six months for this,” said junior Nick Fox, who’ll be a captain in the fall. “We needed our guidance. We weren’t lost without it because of the brotherhood and the culture and the family they instilled in us. They made us brothers, actual family. All the kids on the team, we all have each other’s backs. It’s just a real family, and it’s all coming together tonight.”
Assistant coach and teacher Eric Giordano was also placed on leave in July. Giordano was later reinstated as a teacher but resigned as a coach in November, as did interim head coach Brian Halapin. The team completed the season, with a run to the Class MM semifinals, under interim coach Jeff Lever.
Christy, hired in 2021, has insisted throughout this process that he would not resign. A letter to the community in December said that allegations against him and the program were groundless and that investigators had dragged out the process.
“It’s been torturous,” Christy said Thursday.
He said he was upset that the program’s culture came into question.
“This program is built on culture,” Christy said.
“We set a record two years ago for the biggest comeback when we came back against New Fairfield. Culture. Our culture’s amazing.”
Christy’s teams reached CIAC semifinals in 2021 and 2022 as well, going 17-7 over those two seasons. The Panthers were 9-3 this year.
The situation had seemed set to come to a head on Dec. 18, when the board, Christy and their attorneys went into executive session at a regular board meeting. Christy emerged after about two hours and said he expected to hear a decision in 10 minutes. The board remained in executive session for over another hour before tabling the decision.
“I think the short amount of time (Thursday) versus the unfortunate last time,” Ferris said Thursday, “I think this shows the decisiveness and the togetherness of us.”
Public-participation sessions during board meetings often featured emotionally charged moments through the fall and at that Dec. 18 meeting, when over 100 people stuck around to hear a verdict. Emotions remained high when the motion was tabled.
Christy, Giordano and several administrators were named in a police report in September that said its investigation found no probable cause for criminal charges.
This meeting was postponed from Tuesday; the snow and ice storm Monday into Tuesday led to schools being closed, stretching the saga two final days.