Stonington — Board of Education Chairwoman Alexa Garvey announced Wednesday that, if it accomplishes certain goals, she will support an independent investigation into how school officials handled years of allegations that former high school teacher and coach Timothy Chokas inappropriately touched numerous female students.

In an email Wednesday, Garvey said the topic of beginning the investigation will be added to the agenda for the Jan. 23 Board of Education meeting, which is slated for 7 p.m. at Pawcatuck Middle School, so questions can be answered about the process of going forward with what she called the "second investigation."

Until this point, Garvey had been among the four board members blocking the investigation being called for by Alisa Morrison, Jack Morehouse and Heidi Simmons. It was not clear what prompted Garvey's shift. Board members Craig Esposito, Candace Anderson and Farouk Rajab have opposed the investigation.

Garvey’s announcement comes after Alexandra Kapell, the president of the high school Student Council and the student representative to the school board, also called for an independent investigation at last Thursday’s board meeting, saying “there’s a lot to be uncovered.”

Since last summer, the board members who have opposed an independent investigation have said they wanted to wait until state Child Advocate Sarah Eagan completes her review of the school system’s policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment before proceeding with any investigation.

That review began last June after The Day published the first of a number of stories that revealed the allegations against Chokas. Eagan’s report, which is not yet complete, is not expected to include interviews with teachers and past students who complained about Chokas.

“I have let my other board members know that if pursuing a second independent investigation by an alternate law firm will demonstrate support for our students, provide answers to questions that may not be available through the forthcoming OCA report, and help to resolve the growing divide in the community, then I am in support of a second independent investigation,” Garvey wrote in the Wednesday email to The Day.

“My hope is that between the additional information gleaned through a fact finding investigation and the report from Attorney Eagan (Office of Child Advocate) we can find closure to the issues that have cast a shadow over this district since June and move forward accordingly to address the continuously pressing needs of the schools. A second independent investigation must uphold the standards of conduct appropriate to schools/minors in protecting confidentiality,” she added.

Morrison, who has been calling for an independent investigation since last summer, said Wednesday she is very happy the board is moving forward with it and hoped “it would answer the questions we have.”

“But it was the right thing to do (last) June,” she said, referring to when The Day first published stories about the allegations against Chokas and how they were handled.

In an email to board members Wednesday, Garvey said that school board attorney Nick Grello, whose firm has fought The Day’s efforts under state Freedom of Information law to obtain complaints and disciplinary action against Chokas, had put her in contact with attorney Matthew Curtin to discuss conducting the investigation. The school board has not yet made a decision to hire Curtin and Garvey told The Day her initial phone call to Curtin was to understand the process.

It was Curtin, who belongs to the firm Murtha Cullina, who cleared the Norwich Free Academy Head of School David Klein of any wrongdoing in that school's quick dismissal of allegations in 2017 that then-volunteer coach Anthony Facchini was having sexual relations with a student without referring the allegations to the state Department of Children and Families.

Curtin conducted his investigation and then met behind closed doors with the NFA board of trustees and provided only oral reports of his findings. He did not provide a written report, which meant the school did not have to release it to the public. Three other NFA staffers were suspended. Facchini later was accused of having sexual relations with a second student, and that allegation was reported to police and DCF, leading to Facchini's arrest and charges filed against the school's safety director.

Garvey wrote that Curtin will charge the school board $455 an hour with the cost of the investigation projected to be between $20,000 and $40,000. With current and former female students who have spoken to or contacted The Day and those who have posted comments about their interactions with Chokas dating back to 2004, there are well over 100 young women to be possibly interviewed along with school administrators, teachers, coaches, staff members and parents.

Garvey told school board members the length of the investigation could be a month and a half or longer but would “vary with our scope but more dependent upon who will agree to participate in an interview.” She said Curtin could begin his work at the end of this month or in February. 

Morrison, though, said she wants to find out exactly what Curtin would do, the timeline for his work and whom he will be interviewing.

Garvey wrote that she is sure the school administrators interviewed by Eagan — Superintendent of Schools Van Riley, High School Principal Mark Friese, Director of Guidance Margo Crowley, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Mary Anne Butler, high school Assistant Principal Neal Curland and Director of Special Services Allison Van Etten — will make themselves available for questioning by Curtin.

Eagan did not interview teachers, and it is unknown whether teachers will consent to be interviewed on what they knew about Chokas.

Teachers’ union President Michael Freeman, who has not responded to questions about whether his members were aware of Chokas’ alleged actions and complained about them, did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email asking if they would participate in interviews.

Garvey told board members they need to “outline the scope of the fact finding investigation.”

She said Curtin “will update us on his progress and he will not speak to the press.” When Curtin completes his fact finding investigation, she said he will present his results in writing to the board and board attorney Grello.

Numerous girls have told The Day they were repeatedly touched by Chokas and saw him touching others and making inappropriate comments to them dating back to 2004. After a January 2019 incident in which a student reported that Chokas was touching a female classmate and making inappropriate comments, Chokas was allowed to resign with his full salary of $81,396 and benefits through the end of the school year.

The school system also agreed not to fire Chokas or disclose any information concerning his employment to anyone, except as required by law.

Friese and Riley have testified under oath they did not consider various reports about inappropriate touching and comments lodged against Chokas, by students referred to in various school documents and emails in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and from the girls themselves, as complaints. Instead, they considered them “reports,” “interactions with people” and “concerns” expressed by students and others. Their categorizations meant that these complaints were not placed in Chokas’ personnel file and not released to The Day when the newspaper requested them last year.

j.wojtas@theday.com