Dems Ask School Board Member To Resign After Plea; He Won't Do It

STRATFORD, CT — Stratford Democrats are calling for the resignation of a school board member who took a plea deal after he was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl. But Robert DeLorenzo said he's not going anywhere.

DeLorenzo, 47, was originally charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor but pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of reckless endangerment and was ordered to serve a two-year suspended prison sentence and three years conditional discharge.

"Robert DeLorenzo has responsibilities which include ensuring the safety of our school children. Therefore, the Stratford Democratic Town Committee calls upon Mr. DeLorenzo to resign, effective immediately," committee Chair Stephanie Philips said Wednesday in a prepared statement. "This is the only action that will reflect the best interests of the students in our school system."

DeLorenzo, who has maintained he is innocent throughout the legal proceedings, said the committee is calling for him to step down because he didn't vote for Philips's preferred candidate for vice chair when the school board selected officers in December.

"It's certainly a low blow considering she knows all the facts of the false accusations," DeLorenzo, a Democrat, said in a prepared statement. "Attorney Sean Barrett in Stratford has cleared my name in the horrific/disgusting allegations. Ms. Phillips (sic) knows my character and my innocence."

Philips denied that the committee's request for DeLorenzo to resign was political.

"It's appalling that Bob DeLorenzo tries to make this a political action, which it's not," Philips said. "... It's appalling that he ignores his own actions in front of a court."

DeLorenzo said he felt he was being bullied.

"I will continue to hold my head high on the board of education through my term and be the team player I am," he said.

DeLorenzo's term expires in 2021. There are no provisions in place for removal of an elected school board member, Superintendent Janet Robinson confirmed via email. Board Chair Allison DelBene did not immediately respond Wednesday to requests for comment.

DeLorenzo entered his plea under the Alford doctrine, which is not a direct admission of guilt, but rather a disagreement with the facts of the case that also acknowledges the possibility of a harsher sentence at trial.

He was accused of sexually assaulting the victim from the time she was in fifth grade to the time she was in seventh grade, starting when she was about 10 years old, according to the arrest warrant affidavit for the case. When asked by police in 2017 about the allegations, DeLorenzo denied them, the affidavit said.

DeLorenzo will not be required to register as a sex offender, but two lifetime criminal protective orders will prevent him from ever contacting the victim or her sister.

"We wish to convey our heartfelt empathy to his victim and her family as they continue to heal," Philips said in the statement.

DeLorenzo is involved in Stratford sports, the Parent Teacher Association, the new Stratford High School project and building needs for the district, according to his Twitter account. His son is enrolled in Stratford schools and his wife works in the school system, he said in his statement Wednesday.