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GUILDERLAND — Sean McConaghy, a Farnsworth Middle School health and physical education teacher and the Guilderland High School head coach for varsity lacrosse, was arrested on May 7 for driving while intoxicated.

Guilderland Police arrested him at 8:28 p.m. at Star Plaza, 2050 Western Ave., according to the arrest report.

McConaghy, 27, of 91G Kennsington Court, was charged with driving while intoxicated, first offense, and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or greater, both misdemeanors, and for making an improper turn, an infraction.
McConaghy was driving south on Route 155, the report says, when he made an unlawful left turn onto Route 20 in a car "without a front left tire." He told police that he had crashed into a guardrail on Washington Avenue Extension, the report says.

The police noticed the odor of alcohol, glassy eyes, impaired speech, and impaired motor coordination, the report says, and McConaghy then failed a field sobriety test. He consented to a breathalyzer test, the report says, and the reading resulted in the charge of driving with a blood-alcohol content of over .08 percent, the report says.

McConaghy did not return a call for comment from The Enterprise.

Susan Tangorre, the personnel director for the Guilderland School District, said the district has no policy on how to handle teachers or coaches arrested for driving while intoxicated.
"We’re always expecting our employees to abide by the law," she said.
Asked if any disciplinary measures would be taken, she said, "Not at this stage."
While Tangorre said she could not comment on the specifics of McConaghy’s case, she said, in general, "We wait to see the adjudication. Someone is not necessarily guilty just because they are charged."

McConaghy is scheduled to appear in Guilderland Town Court on May 26. Typically, those arrested for a first DWI offense have the charge reduced to driving while ability impaired, for which they pay a fine and attend a victims’ impact panel.
Asked if McConaghy had had earlier problems or if his behavior at school or coaching had been affected by alcohol use, Tangorre said again that she couldn’t comment on a specific personnel matter but she did say, "If there were an employee that had problems during their working time, certainly we would take action...We would ask them to avail themselves of our employee assistance program."