DOES CHS COACH INVESTIGATOR HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST?

Leroy Seitz

The investigator hired to examine the internal review of CHS baseball Coach Joe Fichetti -- who was found to have engaged in harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) of at least one former player -- apparently has a conflict of interest related to the investigation.

Dr. Leroy Seitz, acting superintendent of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District, was hired by the South Orange Maplewood School District on Feb. 26 to review the SOMA investigation of Fischetti that found several counts of HIB by the coach.

Joe Fischetti

The review was announced at the Feb. 22 SOMA school board meeting where the school board voted, 6-3, to re-appoint Fischetti as the CHS baseball coach for 2016. 

Some concerns were raised by board members given that Fischetti and some of his staff had been found to have committed harassment and bullying acts against former player Alex Nathan.

His father, Randy Nathan, has spoken out at several meetings about the situation, while another former player, David DeFranco, filed a lawsuit alleging numerous similar examples of bullying.

In reaction to such concerns, Superintendent John Ramos announced that the outside investigator, later identified as Seitz, would conduct his own review and that Fischetti could be dismissed as coach if the review finds the HIB claims to be valid.

But now it appears there is a conflict of interest between Seitz and SOMA Board Attorney Phil Stern, who is also the district's HIB coordinator and who oversaw the Fischetti investigation.    

Records with the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District indicate Stern was employed there as a labor counsel in 2009 when Seitz was previously superintendent.

Seitz and the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District did not respond to requests for comment, while Stern also has not responded.

South Orange Maplewood School Board President Elizabeth Baker referred questions to District Spokeswoman Suzanne Turner who issued the following statement:

Dr. Seitz is investigating HIB complaints on behalf of the district. Mr. Stern is
not the subject of any actual HIB complaint, so any past interactions between Mr.
Stern and Dr. Seitz present no implications for the investigation. 

Mr. Stern is not the subject of any investigation.  The allegations of HIB are the
subject of the investigation.