New Castle Officials Start to Address Community School Sex Abuse Issue

CHAPPAQUA, NHY — As anger builds in the Chappaqua school community over the Christopher Schraufnagel case and school officials' response to it, the New Castle Town Board has endorsed action by the town's Coalition for Youth.

The following is a statement issued by the Coalition for Youth which the Town Board has endorsed:

Today, as we strive to have a better understanding of what happened, we as a community must do what we can to address the risks that our children may face. We must support the victims and work together to ensure that all areas of our community are safe. In our roles as civic leaders we have the opportunity to help lead a multi-pronged approach to address these important issues. Our Coalition for Youth, which is comprised of critical stakeholders including the Town, school District, clergy and police, must address this critical issue and continue to address other important issues that face our community.

This week New Castle Town Administrator Jill Simon Shapiro and New Castle Police Chief Charles Ferry hosted the first meeting of the Coalition For Youth ("CFY") for this school year. Attending the meeting were 27 CFY members representing a wide array of community organizations and interests including faith, civic, school, mental and physical health, town, police, recreation and volunteers. The group spent nearly two hours discussing the recent case of sexual abuse and the school district response. Recognizing that the entire community is traumatized by the events and must come together to process what has happened, CFY members determined that CFY can identify tangible ways for the community to move forward while simultaneously helping to provide a space for impacted students, families, teachers and all community members to grieve, voice concerns and begin the healing process.

A subcommittee has been formed to discuss these issues further and to propose concrete action items going forward. This subcommittee has met and has identified initial immediate action items including identifying and promoting reporting mechanisms such as anonymous hotlines; identifying experts, including other communities who have experienced similar abuse incidents, who might inform our next steps; making experienced professionals accessible to District teachers and staff; and gathering a collection of resources to make available to community members. Community members interested in learning more about the work of the subcommittee may contact subcommittee chair Reverend Dr. Martha Jacobs, First Congregational Church of Chappaqua at mjacobs@fcc-chappaqua.org.

Rob Greenstein, Supervisor
Adam Brodsky, Deputy Supervisor
Lisa Katz, Town Board member
Hala Makowska, Town Board member
Jeremy M. Saland, Town Board member

Also today, The Journal News printed a set of emails between members of the Chappaqua Board of Education about the case and the repercussions. Reaction to the emails has been strong on the New Castle Community Discussions Facebook page.

SEE:

• Chappaqua Residents, School Trustees Mad about PR Firm, Legal Filing
• Plea Deal for Former Chappaqua Drama Teacher Accused by Students
• Chappaqua School District Attorneys Say Students to Blame for Abuse By Ex-Drama Teacher