Schraufnagel case: School had abuse complaint in 2011

Chappaqua school officials knew as early as 2011 that former drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel was accused of abusing students, new court filings claim.

According to documents filed in state Supreme Court in White Plains, Horace Greeley High School Principal Robert Rhodes told the parents of one alleged victim of sexual abuse by the controversial ex-teacher "that in 2011 there were accusations made about Mr. Schraufnagel similarly abusing a student at Greeley High School."

"I understand that rather than referring those allegations to the police department that the Chappaqua Central School District chose to keep it quiet and do their own investigation," the anonymous student's mother said in records filed last week. "We are not privy to the scope of that investigation or to the findings. However, we do know that no actions were taken against Mr. Schraufnagel between 2011 and 2015."

JUDGE: Kraus questions plea agreement
CHAPPAQUA: Parents petition seeks resignations

RELATED: Chappaqua wants parents' names revealed
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Chappaqua sex scandal
TIMELINE: How the scandal unfolded

The allegations are contained in new claims against the 42-year-old former drama and speech teacher filed by a sixth Horace Greeley student who says he was the victim "of physical, sexual and emotional assaults and threats."

Schraufnagel taught at the Chappaqua high school for 12 years before he was suspended with pay on June 15, 2015, amid allegations of improper conduct with students. He resigned in September and, the following month, was arrested by New Castle police and charged with criminal sexual conduct, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse and child endangerment.

He agreed to plead guilty to three endangering counts on Aug. 4, and admitted that two of those cases involved "sexual contact" with students.

The plea deal is pending approval by New Castle Town Justice Douglas Kraus, who raised questions about why the former teacher would not be registered as a sex offender as part of the plea agreement.

Stacey Richman, Schraufnagel's attorney in the criminal case, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Since May, six former students have filed civil claims against Schraufnagel, alleging that he engaged in "sexual conduct" with students and provided them with alcohol. The new alleged victim, identified in court papers only as John Doe, claims he was exposed to abuse from September 2014 through June 2015.

Filed Aug. 16, the new allegations are part of a written request to the judge to file a late "notice of claim," or a notification of the intent to file a lawsuit.

Francis Young, the lawyer in the new case, declined to discuss the case, saying only that "we're going to rely upon the papers that were submitted to the judge."

But In an eight-page affidavit included in the court filing, the teen's mother, identified only as Mary Doe, said she was first called to Horace Greeley High by Assistant Principal Andrew Corsilia on June 16, 2015, the day after Schraufnagel was suspended.

"When I arrived, I was told by Mr. Corsilia that there were allegations of child molestation against the drama teacher, Christopher Schraufnagel," she said in the affidavit. "Mr. Corsilia also told me the school believed my son was a victim of Mr. Schraufnagel's molestation. I had no prior knowledge of this."

Brian Henderson, the attorney representing the school district in the civil cases, has not returned repeated calls for comment since July 13, when he said in a brief email that "neither my office nor the Chappaqua Central School District will comment regarding any pending litigation."

In the affidavit, Mary Doe said her family had long worried about her son's downward spiral in school. She said the meeting with Corsilia "seemed to clear up some confusion I had endured with regard" to her son.

She said she was told during a subsequent meeting with Rhodes, the principal, about the 2011 complaint against Schraufnagel.

The boy's mother said she also reached out to school officials to get help for her son, who she said was traumatized and required therapy. She said she even reached out to Warren Messner, then-president of the Chappaqua school board, "who told me that I should take my concerns to (Schools Superintendent Lyn) McKay and refused to meet with me."

"He further went on and shamed me by accusing me of violating my son's privacy," she claimed in the affidavit.

Messner did not reply to an email seeking comment.

She said her son suffers from severe anxiety and panic attacks. She said that, once media reports on the alleged abuse began to surface, her son "could not eat or sleep and when he would eventually fall asleep, he would wake up crying from the nightmares."

However, she said the school would not help her to get the teen the therapy she said he needed.

McKay, the superintendent, has urged parents and students not to discuss the case with the media in several emails since Schraufnagel resigned. In a new email this week — six days after the claims filed by the sixth student — McKay outlined resources she said the district was providing to students and families. That includes group meetings with trauma and mental health experts and creation of a new districtwide K-12 Student Support Committee, McKay said. 

Twitter: @jfitzgibbon