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| Coach Joe Fischetti |
We reported on some parents accusations of bullying and unfair treatment of players almost one year ago. At that time, the district -- specifically Board Attorney Phil Stern -- said they would investigate the matter.
One year later, as the district nears its decision whether to hire Fischetti for another year this spring, at least one parent remains adamant that his son, and others, were poorly treated.
And he appears to have proof that the district agrees.
Randy Nathan, whose son, Alex, graduated last year, raised his concerns once again at the last school board meeting on Jan. 25. He took issue with how the district had handled complaints he raised about treatment of his son and some other players.
“There is a serious issue, families claiming that kids are in a culture of harassment, intimidation and bullying on the baseball team,” he told Maplewoodian.com.
Nathan said his son played varsity baseball under Fischetti in Spring 2014 with no complaints. He said the problems started after some parents approached him and asked him to help them with their concerns about harassment and bullying of their sons.
As a professional anti-bullying mediator and consultant, Nathan said the parents hoped he could help them get their concerns addressed by the district.
Nathan said he organized a meeting with Stern and CHS Principal Elizabeth Aaron in August 2014.
“They thanked me for coming to them, took it seriously and I said my biggest concern is that there might be retaliation directed at my son,” Nathan recalls. “They said nothing would happen.”
Nathan said he also filed a complaint on behalf of the other parents and received a response from Stern that indicated their concerns were legitimate and would be addressed.
Months later, when it came time for the 2015 baseball season to begin, Nathan said his son was not listed as a varsity player. He believed that was retaliatory.
After complaining and meeting with the coach, Nathan said his son was returned to the team, but did not play as often as he had in the past and eventually quit the team.
“During the season, it wasn’t the same,” Nathan said. “He got the cold shoulder. It got really bad. He was miserable inside.”
Fischetti declined to comment citing his lawyer's advice, while Stern and Aaron did not respond to requests for comment. School District Spokeswoman Suzanne Turner said the district could not comment on the issues.
Nathan filed five more complaints between April and August 2015 on his own behalf and his son.
Each complaint received a response from the district agreeing that harassment, intimidation and bullying did occur and stating the matter was “worthy of administrative action.”
The issues were also found to be valid by the Essex County Department of Education and Superintendent John Ramos, who looked into the matter upon joining the district in August 2015. In an Aug. 27, 2015 letter to Nathan, Ramos said the issued had “languished for too long.” Ramos did not respond to a request for comment.
Nathan contends no action has been taken and that Fischetti should not be allowed to coach again this year when the board considers appointments at the next meeting on Feb. 22.
“Don’t hire these coaches,” Nathan said. “Don’t let them be coaches again. They hurt kids.”
Nathan raised his concerns at the Jan. 25, 2016 meeting in a lengthy, angry comment during the public comment portion. See that below:
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