To the Saugerties Community July 25, 2025

The recent allegations that have been reported against a former Saugerties School district employee and wrestling coach are deeply troubling.

While the Ulster County District Attorney’s office will investigate and process the legal aspects of these incidents it is the responsibility of the School Board to investigate and evaluate what happened internally within the district. We want to ensure our public that we take that responsibility with the utmost concern and attention. At the meeting this past Tuesday (July 22, 2025) the board discussion around needing an external, independent investigation was unanimous. There were details on specific scope and process that needed to be finalized before an official vote could occur. Today, we voted unanimously to engage an external independent investigator.

The individual who will be running the process is a senior investigator from outside of Saugerties with no professional or personal ties to our school district. They come with a background as a senior criminal investigator who transitioned into focusing within schools. She has conducted numerous investigations ranging from serious sports
hazing incidents to sexual harassment.

The review will be thorough, comprehensive and will include the following.

• Determine whether the steps taken to investigate complaints of inappropriate behavior on the part of a custodian/coach by district stakeholders were comprehensive and aligned to district policy, regulation and law.
• Determine whether the actions taken at the conclusion of the investigation were properly implemented, documentation was preserved, and communication was transparent with all stakeholders.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of the policies and procedures to be implemented when an allegation of misconduct is received.
• Develop a final written investigation report inclusive of all interviews, document review, summary of findings and recommendations, a public executive summary and guidance on a plan to addressdeficiencies.

We, as a district, owe it to our students to do and be better. Student safety is our utmost priority. The steps outlined above are the initial bold steps in that process. We are actively evaluating additional steps necessary to address the matter at hand.

Please if you have questions or simply want to comment please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly. I assure you your questions or inquiries will be held in the strictest confidence.

Regards,
Jeffrey Riozzi
Saugerties Central School District
Board of Trustees – President

 jriozzi1@saugerties.k12.ny.us