Guidance counselor claims retaliation after filing sexual harassment complaint

The counselor is the third girl the Instances Union has spoken to who has filed complaints as a part of the investigations towards Chakar.

Performing Andes Superintendent Patrick Darfler-Sweeny stated the counselor’s resignation, which got here after Darfler-Sweeny really useful her termination, was completely unrelated to the investigation and stemmed from a parental criticism towards the counselor.

The counselor, who requested her identify not be used to guard her profession, was employed in January 2020. Chakar started having “sexually laden conversations” along with her that fall, in accordance with her criticism, a duplicate of which was given to the Instances Union.

The dialogue revolved round making an attempt to get his spouse pregnant by the in vitro fertilization (IVF) course of and all of the sexual activity he allegedly stated was required as a part of that, in accordance with the criticism.

“He would focus on all the a great deal of intercourse they wanted to have and the way that may be actually nice but in addition very consuming to his life,” in accordance with the criticism. “He would then clarify ‘morning, evening, quite a few occasions. It is all that is on the thoughts, intercourse, intercourse, and extra intercourse.’” 

It was unclear why Chakar would allegedly join having ample intercourse and IVF. In IVF, a girls’s eggs are faraway from her ovaries and inseminated in a lab earlier than being inserted into her uterus. No intercourse is required to get pregnant when utilizing IVF.

When requested in an interview, the counselor stated she didn’t notice IVF didn’t contain sexual exercise and couldn’t clarify why Chakar allegedly linked the 2.

The conversations would all the time occur when nobody else was current after Chakar had come to her workplace, or after she had been summoned to his, in accordance with the criticism.

Initially, the counselor thought the dialog was harmless, she stated.

“The primary time he got here to me I actually thought he was simply an odd superintendent, and in a roundabout way he was making an attempt to acquaint me to his household and the neighborhood as a result of it’s a really small place,” she stated.

Nonetheless, Chakar got here to her workplace and talked about intercourse together with his spouse at the least 4 different occasions in the course of the 2020-2021 faculty 12 months, in accordance with the criticism.

“I’ve by no means as soon as engaged on this language or conversations,” in accordance with the criticism. “As soon as it had been introduced up so many occasions, I started simply politely slicing him off by saying ‘sure, sure, I do know all about this, we’ve gone over it.’”

The counselor’s criticism to the Andes Board of Schooling is dated Feb. 17, three days after the board acquired the criticism that set off the harassment investigation, however earlier than Chakar was placed on administrative go away. The criticism was submitted on to the varsity board, because the legislation agency that took on the investigation, Binghamton-based Coughlin & Gerhart, had not but been contracted. 

The preliminary criticism was filed by a father or mother, who additionally filed a criticism with the U.S. Division of Schooling’s Workplace of Civil Rights (OCR), which is endeavor its personal investigation. The OCR criticism, a duplicate of which was given to the Instances Union, states Chakar put his hand on a fifth grader’s shoulder whereas they had been alone in a college lobby, and the scholar thought of it unwelcome. 

The counselor was placed on paid go away April 28, about two-and-a-half months after making the criticism, and acquired discover from Darfler-Sweeny on Could 13 that he could be recommending her for termination on the subsequent faculty board assembly. She resigned Could 24.

She believes she was pushed out due to her criticism.

Darfler-Sweeny, the appearing superintendent, stated she was placed on go away after the district acquired a criticism concerning the counselor from a father or mother.

The district seemed into the criticism, which led to the advice the counselor be terminated, in accordance with Darfler-Sweeny. The counselor had been employed for a four-year probationary time period, versus being tenured, and was capable of be fired at will.

Personnel confidentiality legal guidelines precluded Darfler-Sweeny from discussing the criticism additional.

The choice had “completely, positively” nothing to do with something aside from the criticism towards the counselor, Darfler-Sweeny added.

The board of training’s investigation into allegations towards Chakar is ongoing. In addition to the complaints from the counselor and the preliminary criticism from the father or mother, the Instances Union has reviewed a 3rd criticism.

In that criticism, a father or mother states the superintendent commented on her daughter’s physique, “remarking on her maturing ‘breast buds,’ ” a press release the father or mother referred to as “profoundly disturbing and inappropriate.” The father or mother had not talked about the incident beforehand as a result of they feared retaliation, in accordance with the criticism.

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Workplace opened an investigation into the preliminary criticism, however closed it in early Could with none fees being filed.

Chakar and his legal professional haven’t returned requires remark.

Chakar was beforehand investigated by a college board for harassment. He was pressured to resign because the assistant principal at a Bristol, Connecticut center faculty after the inner investigation revealed he repeatedly sexually harassed employees and spoke to women on the faculty inappropriately.

Andes College Board President Kelly Bauer beforehand stated as a lot of the present inner investigation could be launched as was legally potential.