CHS BASEBALL PARENTS FIGHT BACK AGAINST COACH'S DISMISSAL

Many Columbia High School parents and baseball players are fighting back against the recent decision not to rehire coach Joe Fischetti, who was accused in recent years of several instances of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB).

About two dozen players and adult supporters attended Monday's school board meeting, where they issued an open letter to the board urging that Fischetti and former assistant Coach Matthew Becht be reappointed for the 2017 season. The district recently posted a job opening for the varsity coaching position, indicating Fischetti would not be returning.

The letter states, in part:

The community deserves to hear about the misjudgments, mistakes, and general mismanagement by the school district in the handling of this matter. 

Over the past two years, there has been a lack of due process, double jeopardy, and significant reputational damage to coaches who have been exonerated of the same HIB complaints on multiple occasions. This type of witch hunt may have worked in Salem in the 1600’s, but it’s not how things should work in South Orange-Maplewood today.

Read it HERE.

Complaints against Fischetti date back to 2014 and sparked several internal inquiries, which resulted in at least six findings of HIB by the coaches against former players Alex Nathan and David DeFranco. Last February, DeFranco, who is now in college, filed a lawsuit against the district and the coaches, which has yet to go to trial.

Leroy Seitz

Soon after the lawsuit was filed, The district hired outside investigator Leroy Seitz, at a cost of $5,000, to review the district's own HIB findings against Fischetti.

Despite that, and the lawsuit, the school board on Feb. 22 voted to re-appoint Fischetti as coach for the 2016 season by a 6-3 vote. Board members Johanna Wright, Chris Sabin and Board President Elizabeth Baker voted against the re-appointment.

Seitz did not complete his review until this past July, but it has never been released. The district has claimed it is confidential due to the HIB policy and its relation to a personnel matter. 

(Fischetti is also a physical education teacher at Columbia High School)

On Monday night, Baker said that there have been appeals by parties involved in the HIB reviews, but did not state who they were. Due to that, she said the situation is still being investigated and the board remains in a "period of deliberation." She expects a final decision on those appeals and likely the future coaching situation next month. 

Fischetti supporters, meanwhile, are using that time to put forth their claims that the coach is being unfairly accused and the target of a "witch hunt."

CHS baseball team members who appeared on Monday to support Fischetti

Two players who addressed the board Monday -- Matt Kritzberg and Eliot Dix -- said they had collected more than 300 signatures on a petition to support Fischetti and Becht's return.

"Not only do we have our coaches backs, but the Columbia High School student body does, too," Kritzberg said about the petition. 

Dix added, "Longtime physical education instructor Joe Fischetti has clearly made a positive impact on the baseball program ... I've never enjoyed the games as much as I did when I was coached by Fischetti and Becht."

Most of the adults who appeared in Fischetti's favor are members of the CHS Baseball Boosters, a parents group that supports and promotes the team. They released a lengthy packet of background documents that they contend shows a predetermined plan to oust Fischetti and Becht without merit.

Along with the open letter, it includes a press release about the claims, and a timeline of events dating back to 2014.

See those HERE.

Those items and others seek to paint a picture of an investigation that, early on, had found no evidence to substantiate claims of HIB against the coaches. But which they claim later turned against them as part of a conspiracy to remove the coaches.

Also included is a Jan. 22, 2015 letter from former acting superintendent James Memoli that appears to exonerate the coaches. It states, in part, "we found no corroborated evidence to substantiate" claims of HIB.

But it did not include a follow-up letter from Memoli later that year, on April 27, 2015, reversing the stance and indicating there was evidence of HIB. Memoli even apologized. 

The Boosters also cite an Aug. 28, 2015 email from former Board Attorney Philip Stern to the West Orange law firm of Spencer & Associates, which had represented the coaches at the time. It appears to indicate the board and school district found fault with the coaches simply to end the issue and not because of any merits.

That email stated: 

That email followed letters sent by Ramos a day earlier, on Aug 27, 2015, to the parents of DeFranco and Nathan telling them that their complaints had been deemed to be valid. The Boosters contention is that those letters were merely a way to "end the debacle." 

Also included in the Boosters packet are HIB investigative findings that determined no HIB activities by Becht in 2015, except for one use of profanity. They offered no such investigations regarding Fischetti.

School officials, meanwhile, still decline to comment on the investigation or the future of the coaches.