School Personnel Head Was 'Accusatory,' 'Demeaning': Reports

ENFIELD, CT — Enfield Public Schools chief personnel officer John Coccia, who was placed on paid administrative leave on Sept. 10, 2019 and eventually negotiated a separation agreement with the town, was accused by two staff members of behavior described as "aggressive," "accusatory," "demeaning" and "intimidating," according to documents obtained Friday by Patch under Freedom of Information law.

The heavily-redacted documents include a letter dated Sept. 10, 2019, indicating on Sept. 6, a staff member "was needed urgently at [central office] by John Coccia," forcing the staff member to abandon job responsibilities and report to the school district offices, located in the former Thomas Alcorn School at 1010 Enfield St.

After about a 20-minute wait, Coccia called the staffer to his office, "then he surprised me with rapid-fire questions delivered in an aggressive style... Mr. Coccia continued to fire accusatory questions at me, using a tone that insinuated I did something wrong," according to the letter.

The letter continued, "He made me feel like I had to defend my position, and he presented questions and comments that left me feeling like he thought I was lying. His presentation was demeaning and accusatory." The staffer added his communication during the conversation was "hostile and demeaning... when instead he could have chosen to have the same conversation in a professional manner."

The staffer complained Coccia "was belittling me by saying I enjoyed 'gossip' and making statements that made me feel worthless. Although he didn't use a loud voice, his comments were pejorative and very upsetting and subjected me to unwarranted criticism as he was questioning my integrity."

In the letter, the staff member said they "subsequently broke down in tears due to the difficulty of this encounter," and another staff member who was present at the meeting was also in tears, and commented, 'I feel like I've been slapped in the face' after attempting to defend her colleague.

The complainant indicated contemplating speaking with Superintendent of Schools Chris Drezek about the incident, but had been "directed by Mr. Coccia not to talk to anyone... In addition, I was worried that speaking to anyone about Mr. Coccia's behavior would lead to overt or even behind-the-scenes repercussions that I was afraid I'd have to deal with or that I might create for others," according to the letter.

In the letter, the staff member said it was "disgraceful that he would put this much energy into tearing me down rather than being encouraging and supportive... Mr. Coccia has a 'guilty until proven innocent' attitude and 'interrogation' style that subjects staff to needlessly abrasive and demoralizing treatment."

Drezek called Coccia about the incident the evening of Sept. 10, then followed up with a formal letter the next day, placing Coccia on paid administrative leave pending an investigation "into certain matters related to your conduct." While on leave, Coccia is forbidden from entering the premises of any school or administrative building in the district, or from attending any school-sponsored activities. He is not permitted to access any portion of the district's computer system, including e-mail, and may not "have any contact with any Enfield Public Schools students, parents/guardians or staff members."

In an email to Drezek and assistant superintendent Andy Longey, dated Sept. 27, 2019 and obtained Friday by Patch, a second staff member filed complaints against Coccia, stating, "I feel that he is targeting me and makes me not want to work for Enfield Public Schools. I feel very intimidated by him with the fact that he is going to question every day that I take off going forward."

The second staffer claimed to have been given "a very hard time" by Coccia about a doctor's diagnosis, and that Coccia "accused me of writing my own medical note." At a subsequent meeting about the issue, Coccia "was very defensive in the meeting and really did not seem interested in what I had to say," according to the email.

An 8-page separation agreement, signed by Coccia on Jan. 25, 2020 and by Drezek four days later, Coccia tendered his resignation, effective June 30, 2020, remaining on fully paid leave until that date based on his annual salary of $144,742. The agreement also provides Coccia with compensation of $10,577.30 for 19 unused vacation days, $30,244.32 for 163 unused sick days, and a severance package of $39,525.70.

The parties also agreed that Drezek would provide Coccia with a letter of reference.