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New principal in Greenburgh under harassment probe

By DAVID NOVICH
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: July 16, 2005)

HARTSDALE — Greenburgh school officials are checking reports that their new high school principal sexually harassed staff members at a former job.

School officials recently learned about the allegations against Robert L. Chakar Jr., who began work Monday. Schools Superintendent Josephine Moffett would not say who told them. She said the reports were inconsistent with Chakar's original references from the former superintendent of the Bristol, Conn., schools, where the alleged incidents took place, and his other references from districts in New York.

Chakar, 37, was hired to replace former Woodlands High School Principal Gayle Marchica and is being paid $138,312. He could not be reached for comment.

The school board will discuss the internal investigation into alleged misconduct at a meeting Monday.

"We take these allegations very seriously and will pursue the matter with the Board of Education next week," Moffett said. "We do ask the public not to rush to judgment, and allow us the opportunity to investigate these allegations thoroughly."

Chakar is alleged to have made inappropriate sexual comments and touched several female staff members at a middle school in Bristol five years ago, according to reports by The Hartford Courant.

The Bristol district began an investigation in 2000 after a formal complaint was made against Chakar by a female teacher. The investigators said that Chakar, who was assistant principal at Chippens Hill Middle School, was well-known for his inappropriate behavior, which involved putting his hands on the shoulders and waists of female staff and standing very close to them. He was warned several times about his behavior. Chakar resigned from his post as assistant principal that year, and the sexual harassment investigation was left out of his personnel file, the Courant reported.

After leaving Bristol, Chakar served as a high school principal in Liberty, N.Y., until 2003, and for the past two years, at Bellport High School in Brookhaven, N.Y., part of the South Country district. In both places, he received strong reviews from school officials, who said they had no reports of questionable behavior when he was working there.

Michael LaFever, superintendent of South Country schools, said he had heard of a sexual harassment complaint against Chakar, but it was not substantiated. He said Chakar improved student performance during his tenure.

"Bob was very much on top of reviewing student success each quarter, and talking to teachers and working with the staff to look at how to address issues where kids had difficulties," LaFever said.

Liberty School Trustee Philip Olsen, who served as board president during Chakar's tenure, said he had not heard of the sexual harassment investigation in Bristol.

At Liberty High School, Chakar would go out into the hallways daily and meet the students, Olsen said. He also helped get more students involved in student government, Olsen said.

"I think he sort of brought an energy to the school that it hadn't seen before," Olsen said.

Chakar's predecessor at Woodlands resigned in December after being placed on administrative leave. School officials would not say why Marchica was put on leave, but several parents said it was retribution for Marchica's $1 million defamation lawsuit against Harry Lawson, a resident who accused Marchica of favoritism, racism and incompetence in a publication he distributed at school board meetings and local businesses.

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