SCHOOL BOARD RECEIVES CHS BASEBALL COACH INVESTIGATIVE REPORT - BUT DON'T EXPECT TO SEE IT ANYTIME SOON

Investigator Leroy Seitz at Thursday's school board meeting

The Board of Education on Thursday received the long-awaited investigative report on Columbia High School baseball coach Joe Fischetti during a special board meeting, but still plans to withhold it from the public.

The 7 p.m. meeting included a time for public comment, but then went into closed session, where the board received the report from Leroy Seitz, the interim superintendent of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District who was hired to conduct the review at a cost of $5,000.

You may recall that the district hired Seitz on Feb. 26 to review its own investigation that had found Fischetti allowed harassment and bullying of at least two former players. 

Despite that, and a lawsuit filed by one of the former players, the school board on Feb. 22 voted to re-appoint Fischetti as coach this past season by a 6-3 vote. Board members Johanna Wright, Chris Sabin and Elizabeth Baker voted against the re-appointment.

At the same meeting, Ramos announced that an outside investigator would be brought in to review the findings. It was later revealed that investigator was Seitz.

Ramos said then it would take two to four weeks. But it has dragged on for more than four months.

Also at Thursday's meeting was Attorney Katherine Gilfillan of Scheck, Price, Smith and King, the law firm retained by the district for harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) issues.

We reported in April that the firm had already billed the district more than $15,500 for work related to Fischetti's case since January at $175 per hour.

The district has said it would not release the report, citing personnel confidentiality. 

But Superintendent John Ramos has regularly updated residents at several board meetings and may offer an update at the next regular board meeting on July 18.

The meeting was apparently properly noticed legally with a 48-hour notice on the News-Record website and required bulletin boards. 

However, it was not placed on the front of the district website or sent to residents through any social media or email avenue often used by the district that would have given more people information on the special meeting.