Talk of the Sound has confirmed that a key statement by Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak in the wake of the arrest of Jose Martinez was false. Martinez was arrested by New Rochelle police for sexual molestation of a 14-year old student at Isaac E. Young Middle School on March 24th. The following day, Organisciak issued the following statement.
Statement from Richard Organisciak, Superintendent of Schools
March 25, 2011We are deeply concerned about the allegations that have been made against Assistant Principal, Jose Martinez. The safety and welfare of our students remains our priority.
Mr. Martinez was hired by the district in 2007 as Administrative Dean at Isaac E. Young Middle School. He was provided with clearance to work in the school district after passing the normal State criminal fingerprinting check. There had been no record of complaints from students or staff about Mr. Martinez.
Mr. Martinez became Assistant Principal of Jefferson Elementary School in September of this past year. He abruptly resigned as an employee of the New Rochelle School District on March 11th.
The district is fully cooperating with the New Rochelle Police Department as it investigates this very serious matter. All questions related to the investigation should be directed to the New Rochelle Police. The District will also be conducting our own internal investigation.
There were numerous complaints about Mr. Martinez by staff at Isaac E. Young Middle School including “sit-downs” with Principal Anthony Bongo and Assistant Principal Towanda Robinson. There were written communications to the District’s Central office as well as at least one face-to-face meeting at the Central Office. The complaints were on a consistent theme — that Martinez’ relationship with boys was inappropriate, that he was closing the shades to his office and locking the door while boys were in his office, that he was giving them money, gifts, candy and food.
These complaints were made all the way up the chain of command to the highest levels of the school district.
At the Jefferson parents meeting two weeks ago, Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak told parents that New Rochelle School District policy is to treat all open administrative positions as competitive openings. Administrators are not simply transferred within the district. He made this statement to explain to the Jefferson parents that Martinez was not moved out of his previous position as part of some effort to address complaints about his conduct at of Isaac E. Young Middle School but that he had gone through the same evaluation process as all other candidates for that position.
This explains why Bongo and Organisciak recommended Martinez for the Assistant Principal position at Jefferson Elementary School. Bongo recommended Martinez for promotion. Richard Organisciak also recommended Martinez. The Board then approved Martinez for the position of Assistant Principal at Jefferson Elementary based, in large part, on these recommendations. All this despite repeated complaints about Martinez suspicious conduct and a series of high level meetings after which Martinez offered his resignation. Principal Anthony Bongo refused to accept the resignation and instead played a key role in promoting Martinez.
Given the number of questions raised about Martinez at Isaac E. Young Middle School it should have given the administration pause when a new, written and signed complaint, along the same exact lines, was made by a staff member at Jefferson Elementary School, a person with no prior experience with Martinez and no knowledge of similar complaints made while Martinez was at Isaac.
There is already a criminal investigation going on with the New Rochelle Police Department and the Westchester District Attorney’s office. There will certainly by a civil lawsuit by the parents. Many employees of the district are going to be interviewed, deposed and put under oath. The question then becomes “How many staffers will be willing to perjure themselves with regards to the meetings between Bongo/Robinson and Martinez”? It’s one thing to lie to parents or at a Board of Education meeting or to talk tough about everyone sticking to their story and another when the District Attorney interrogates that same employee not knowing what Martinez is telling investigators and what other employees are saying. Lying to the District Attorney is obstruction of justice. Lying under oath is perjury.
Will school district employees risk jail time to cover up for Anthony Bongo, Towanda Robinson, Richard Organisciak or other administrators and Board of Education members? One need look no further that the New Rochelle Department of Works where Fleet Manager Richard Fevang is reportedly “singing like a canary” to save his hide. That DA investigation has now expanded to three different City departments. Why should the New Rochelle school system be any different? Who wants to go to jail to protect Anthony Bongo?
The sad thing for the school district is that any efforts to protect Martinez from the various complaints and any subsequent coverup is going to end up costing the district millions and a time when the district is laying off large numbers of staff for the second year in a row.
Talk of the Sound shares the view of the vast majority of New Rochelle resident who believe that anyone who received the sorts of complaints described herein about Martinez and failed to act must be offered the opportunity to resign and, failing that, subject to termination proceedings.
If you still believe Organisciak when he claims there was “no record of complaints from students or staff about Mr. Martinez” then you probably believe the promised “internal investigation” will do anything other than exonerate all school district staff, administrators and board members and fob off the case as another “isolated incident”.