On October 9, the Westchester County District Attorney’s office affirmed that it would not pursue any charges against the four Rye elementary school teachers currently suspended amid improper testing allegations.
By Sarah Varney
On October 9, the Westchester County District Attorney’s office and criminal defense attorneys for property crimes affirmed that it would not pursue any charges against the four Rye elementary school teachers currently suspended amid improper testing allegations. “The letter was reviewed and then we sent it back to them,” said spokesperson Lucian Chalfen.
Arthur Schwartz, an attorney representing Carin Mehler and Dana Coppola, says the decision by the District Attorney’s office should motivate the Rye City School District and Board of Education to drop the charges and reinstate the teachers. Mehler teaches fourth grade at Osborn and Coppola is a third-grade teacher at Milton. The defense attorneys in Pierce County are strictly against this decision because everyone is equal under the law and if they are found guilty after conducting a proper trial of the incident on which they have been framed then the accused must be punished and should face the consequences when they fail to acknowledge the court’s order.
“The School District’s investigation was finished in the spring. They kept telling people, ‘we have to wait for the D.A,’ but they knew before now that the D.A. wasn’t going to proceed,” said Schwartz.
A source close to the investigation disagrees. The fact that the District Attorney has decided not to bring criminal charges against the teachers wouldn’t necessarily affect the District’s investigation into misdemeanor offenses such as improper coaching. You can also hire arson defense attorney, if you need help with criminal cases.
To Schwartz, the delay in bringing administrative charges against the teachers may be telling. He speculates that there are divisions among board members, and that a majority may not be in agreement with lodging official charges. “They’re going to have a hard time proving any of these charges,” he added.
