WASHINGTON — An outside attorney’s investigation into the conduct of four Shepaug Valley School administrators over sexual remarks allegedly made about at least one employee in a 2024 text chain is underway.
Meanwhile, the four employees allegedly involved in that chain — current superintendent Donald M. Schels, who was then Shepaug Valley School’s principal; Shepaug Valley School Assistant Principal Michael Croft; Tyler Cremeans, its director of Agriscience; and Matthew Perachi, dean of students and athletic director — are on paid leave during the investigation, according to the district. The Region 12 Board of Education temporarily named Keri Snowden, director of teaching, learning and assessment, as acting superintendent.
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School starts on Aug. 31, which is also the date of the next scheduled board meeting. The agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about the situation:
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What we know
The inquiry began after an anonymous complaint was sent in early July to Region 12 Board of Education members and to leaders of its member towns, Washington, Roxbury and Bridgewater. That complaint included what it alleged was a screenshot of a September 2024 text chain, school officials confirmed. In the exchange, reviewed by CT Insider, the men used laughing emojis in response to comments that were sexual in nature. Shels mentions a person named Weik. Deb Weik was a teacher at the school in 2024 when Schels was its principal. The email also included a copy of the district’s policy on employee use of its computer systems and electronic communications.
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The Board of Education held four special meetings in late July and early August, three of which included closed-door discussions about the initial complaint, a second complaint that was not made anonymously and disciplinary action for the employees. The board voted to hire the outside investigator during its July 30 meeting. During the following meeting, after another closed-door discussion, it voted to place Schels on leave. The board also voted to appoint Snowden as its acting superintendent and directed her to place Croft, Cremeans and Perachi on leave.
The board has said little publicly about the situation, besides issuing statements after it hired the outside investigator, attorney Elisa Bartlett of the Coventry-based law firm Bartlett Law LLC, and after it placed the administrators on leave. The board’s last public statement said it took “this action to assure that an investigation of the complaint may proceed with complete independence.”
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Now the board is inviting the public to provide what it called “constructive feedback” concerning the situation, by sending that feedback to a dedicated email address: [email protected]. A statement on the school district’s website said the feedback “may address the impact on school operations and the successful opening to the school year.”
It says the district will review feedback daily and messages requiring responses will receive that response within three to five days. Board of Education Chairperson Jennifer Pote said central office administrators are reviewing the emails.
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What we don’t know
Little has been revealed about the alleged text chain other than a single screenshot. So the extent of the chain and what additional comments, if any, may have been made are not yet known.
While the board has hired Bartlett, it is not clear how long the investigation will take. Board members determined it needs to be conducted “expeditiously” and completed in a manner “thorough and fair to all involved.”
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At this point it is not clear to what extent the attorney’s findings will be made public.
The board’s last statement said the actions do “not reflect any determination by the Board concerning the complaint or regarding these individuals.” Meanwhile, the board said it “acknowledges the importance of maintaining appropriate standards in the workplace.“
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