Suspended Whitehall High School music teacher Andrew Borghesani has resigned following a school district investigation into what its attorney called allegations of "inappropriate communications."
Andrew Borghesani talks with Whitehall High School students before they take the stage April 1, 2014, for a dress rehearsal of that spring's musical, "South Pacific." His resignation was accepted Monday, Feb. 3, 2017, by the Whitehall-Coplay School Board over allegations of inappropriate communications with two students. (Chris Post file photo | Lehighvalleylive.com contributor)The school board in the Whitehall-Coplay School District accepted the 29-year-old's resignation Monday night.
A criminal investigation remains open into the allegations, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said after the board's 5-0 vote.
District officials learned of the allegations last October from the parents of one of the students, then learned another student claimed to have been receiving the communications as well, district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said.
"All we can say is it's not the kind of behavioral expectation that we would want of any professional employee in the district," Sultanik told reporters after the board meeting, clarifying later that there were no allegations Borghesani physically assaulted any student.
"There were inappropriate communications" sent electronically, the attorney said. "There were texts, there were emails, there was SnapChat."
The alleged communications were said to have occurred both during and outside school hours, Sultanik said.
The district immediately suspended Borghesani, first with pay then as of last month without pay, and he has not taught since the allegations came to light, officials said. The move to accept his resignation came after authorities failed as of last month to bring criminal charges, district officials said.
Borghesani's classes and extracurricular activities have been covered. At one point with the district, in addition to teaching music, Borghesani was director of the high school pep band and choral director, adviser of the stage design club and producer, stage director, music director, art director and rehearsal accompanist for the Zephyrs' spring musical.
He could not be reached for comment Monday because no phone number could be found for him. The district has not spoken with him but has instead dealt with counsel for the Pennsylvania State Education Association union, Sultanik said.
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School board member Tina Koren said she wanted to push to terminate Borghesani rather than accept his resignation, but was swayed by Sultanik's advice that accepting a resignation would be better for the district.
"I never want to see this guy teach in any school district ever again," Koren said during Monday night's meeting.
Prior to the allegations, Superintendent Lorie Hackett said, Borghesani was well-liked and respected. It was not immediately clear how long he'd been working for the district. He is a 2006 graduate of Nazareth Area High School.
Koren commended the district administration for going outside the school community to share the allegations with a local church at which Borghesani had been teaching.
Sultanik explained that the benefits of accepting a resignation versus termination include avoiding having to pay Borghesani unemployment compensation. The attorney also referenced Section 168 of the Pennsylvania school code that requires the district to share that Borghesani resigned while under investigation, should he apply to work at another school district in the state.
"In my opinion this is the best possible result from the district's perspective and given the protections that exist under Act 168," Sultanik said.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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