Police Investigaton re-opens
School’s TA and coach benched

VOORHEESVILLE — A complaint received Wednesday by the State Police about a 24-year-old male teaching assistant and freshman coach has re-opened an October criminal investigation.
New information from the Voorheesville School District has led to further investigation of what "may be an inappropriate relationship" between John Krajewski, and a 14-year-old female, said Investigator Matthew Zell.
"Another party has come forward," Zell said. "We want to do a proper investigation."

He declined to comment on whether the allegations were of a sexual nature.

Krajewski started the school year as the ninth-grade boys’ basketball coach at Clayton A. Bouton High School and also worked as a full-time teaching assistant at Voorheesville Elementary School.

He has not been to work since the beginning of January.
In response to an Enterprise phone call on Wednesday, Superintendent Linda Langevin had the district clerk, Dorothea Pfleiderer, call back and read Langevin’s one sentence statement: "John Krajewski is currently on administrative leave with pay, and we are cooperating with the State Police in their investigation."

Krajewski did not return calls from The Enterprise.

At the beginning of the month, ninth-grade boys arrived at their basketball practice to find that their coach had been replaced. The next day, the district’s administration met with parents and told them the school was looking into an internal personnel matter and that the school could not divulge any more information, parents say.

The district had been even less candid with The Enterprise over the last few weeks up until the police re-opened the criminal case yesterday. The school administration was not forthcoming with information that is classified as public under the state’s Freedom of Information Law.

What has come into question is the kind of relationship John Krajewski has had with the ninth-grade girl, who attends Clayton A. Bouton High. The Enterprise is withholding the minor’s name. Her mother offered no comment to the newspaper.

A week after the team had a new coach, parents told The Enterprise how their sons were adjusting to the unexpected change.
"Coach K. had a good relationship with the team," Michael Snyder said. Snyder said he appreciated how Krajewski worked the kids hard, and pushed his son hard on the basketball court when necessary. But, at the same time, Snyder said, Krajewski knew what different players would respond well to. He was able to adjust to each child’s coaching needs, Snyder said.
So far, the new coach "seems like a nice guy," Snyder said. The players "are handling it very well," he said.
"The kids know there are two sides to every story," Snyder said. And, in this situation, it is hard for them because they know both parties involved, he said, referring to Krajewski and the ninth-grade girl.

The players are not passing judgment, he said, but instead remain positive.
Krajewski is a man in his mid-twenties who "may have had poor judgment," Snyder said.
"They liked him a lot," Stephen Gatt said of the players on his son’s freshman team. One day, Gatt picked up his son from practice and there was a new coach and the next night there was a parents’ meeting, Gatt said.
"If he did something bad then, yeah," he needs to be removed, Gatt said. He compared the secrecy to that of previous varsity basketball and soccer coach, Robert Crandall, who had been a full-time physical education teacher at Voorheesville and was placed on leave in the spring of 2004. Over a year has passed, and the public still doesn’t know the details surrounding Crandall’s departure.

Another parent, who also has a son in ninth-grade who has played basketball, said he has seen the 14-year-old girl riding in Krajewski’s car and he said he didn’t like how Krajewski e-mailed many of the teenagers as if they were friends.

A Krajewski fan

This is Krajewski’s first year coaching basketball for the school district. However, he had coached many of the same boys this summer through the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Last winter, he coached eighth-grade girls’ basketball for the Catholic Youth Organization out of St. Matthew’s Church in Voorheesville. And, he has in past summers worked with boys within CYO.

The ninth-grade girl in question had been an eighth-grade player under Krajewski through the CYO’s league.

Krajewski had built a friendship with the girl’s family.

The current CYO executive director, Mike Castren, new to the post this season, did not want to offer comment for this story.

Bob Burns had run the basketball program for 20 years, and was the executive director when Krajewski was one of the club’s coaches. Burns said that he, along with some other parents, recommended Krajewski for the school’s freshmen coaching position.
"He did an excellent job at CYO," Burns said. "He was very well-received by everyone, both parents and players."
Burns went on, "Johnny’s a very compassionate person...He’s compassionate but maybe a little naive," Burns added.
"I think his compassion may have been his downfall," he said.

Regardless of what student it was, Krajewski would be there for them, Burns said. He was a fine teacher from his first year, Burns said. Krajewski is a good instructor whether he is teaching boys or girls, he said.
"At the end of the day, I would want him to coach my son or daughter," Burns said. "I’m a Johnny Krajewski fan."
"Johnny has my support prior to this current difficulty; he has my support today; and he’ll have my support in the future," he said.

Teaching assistant

Besides being the recent freshmen coach for the school district, Krajewski has been a full-time teaching assistant at the elementary school since 2004.
Fifth-grader Amanda Gatt had Krajewski in her classroom when she was in fourth grade. "As a teacher, he was fun — he played games with us," she said.
He was "more like a friend"" Stephen Gatt asked his daughter. She nodded. "Which I think some people didn’t like," Mr. Gatt said turning back towardThe Enterprise.

There are two fifth-grade classes at the elementary school and the Gatts said that, this year, Krajewski was an assistant for the class that Amanda is not in.

A substitute teaching assistant for the elementary was hired by the school board at January’s meeting.

School district’s response

The athletic director for the district, Joseph Sapienza, said he was not able to comment about the freshmen basketball coach, but he did speak in general terms about expectations for coaches and their relationships to students.
"We address expectations with coaches" when they are first hired, Sapienza said. After an appointment is approved by the school board, Sapienza said he meets with each new coach, one-on-one, in his office and the "expectation for behavior is addressed."
Sapienza said he sees coaches as "mentors and role models."

A coach is similar to a teacher, Sapienza said. He has seen teachers build close relationships to students as well, Sapienza said.

The students perceive of certain teachers and coaches as student advocates, Sapienza said.

Sapienza said he does not think that coaches, in general, are more friendly to students than teachers, or that coaches have more of an opportunity to get to know their students more personally.

The role an individual teacher or coach takes on is more about his or her personal style, he said.

All school-district employees—including the high-school principal—referred questions regarding Krajewski to the superintendent, Linda Langevin, stating that it was a personnel matter on which they could not comment.

Langevin told The Enterprise last week that it was an internal personnel matter and that she was not going to share any information. She would not even confirm that Krajewski was placed on leave, which is a matter of public record.

Langevin expressed the opinion that, if an internal investigation is being conducted, the public doesn’t need to know about it. Generally, she said, she would only confirm that an employee is on leave after 60 days when the school board has made a decision on the matter.

Langevin did, however, speak in general terms about the procedure for placing a teacher on leave, and what she expects of Voorheesville’s staff.
"A professional demeanor is expected at all times," she said. Teachers are not allowed to become friends with students, she said.

Coaches and teachers are not allowed to have students in their cars, Langevin said. Coaches receive the same training and are held to the same standard as teachers, she said.
When an accusation is made against a staff or faculty member, the district "looks into it thoroughly and carefully," Langevin said.

She said, as the superintendent, she has the power to place anyone on leave if she believes there is a safety issue for children, but that does not mean that person is fired, she said. Once she places someone on leave, she then has 30 days to gather evidence.

As required by law, all teachers placed on leave receive their pay, she said.

At the conclusion of her own investigation, Langevin said, she would then share the information learned with the school board, which would then have another 30 days to decide what it wants to do.

The Enterprise has filed two Freedom of Information requests, and is currently awaiting access to school documents. The school district still has a few more days to respond.