Bethel HS Fires Coach After 'Predatory & Grooming Behavior': Officials

BETHEL, CT — Bethel High School has fired an assistant sports team coach after students reported "predatory and grooming behavior," according to a letter sent to parents and staff Friday.

In the letter, Superintendent Christine Carver and Bethel High School Principal Christopher Troetti said they immediately put the unidentified adult on unpaid leave after receiving a "very serious report" prior to Thanksgiving.

The school officials also immediately contacted the Department of Children and Families and the Bethel Police Department, and notified those students and families who had contact with the suspect. The coach did not work in the school buildings on a daily basis, according to the letter.

"While this individual is no longer in our employment, we want to ensure that we are providing our students with the skills they need to identify when boundaries are being crossed and how to report an incident (no matter how small) to a trusted adult. While we never could have predicted this particular situation, we have reflected as a school and district on how best to educate and support our students. That being said, we have partnered with the Center for Empowerment to conduct a series of assemblies for each grade level in January and February to address the warning signs of predatory and grooming behavior," the letter read.

Carver and Troetti also said they hoped to elicit the support of parents and staff by letting the administration know when an incident needs to be investigated:

"Sometimes parents and students assume that we may be aware of a situation when we are not. It goes back to the saying, 'When you see something, say something.'"