Preston – The Board of Education will ask for “a stronger voice at the table” at the Norwich Free Academy in the future in the wake of a police investigation into NFA’s response to allegations of sexual relations between a coach and two students in 2017 and 2018.

The Preston school board met for an hour behind closed doors Monday to discuss the NFA investigation and during its regular meeting later Monday, Superintendent Roy Seitsinger summed up the board’s position briefly during his report.

Norwich police charged former NFA assistant coach Anthony Facchini, 25, with two counts of second-degree sexual assault on Sept. 12 in connection with alleged sexual relations with two students while he worked as a coach at the school. Police are continuing the investigation, focusing on NFA officials’ two-day cursory and dismissive investigation into the initial report in April 2017 of an alleged relationship with the first student victim.

NFA Director of Campus Safety Kevin Rodino told police he closed the investigation after Facchini and the student denied the allegation. Police said NFA officials involved never contacted the state Department of Children and Families as required by state law, and also did not contact the student’s parents.

Seitsinger said the Preston board will continue to “stay connected” to the process but will allow the investigation to continue “unimpeded” and hope that it is completed soon.

“We are going to advocate for a stronger voice at the table of the operations of NFA, and we will continue to stay as well informed as possible based on the conditions set by the investigation process itself.”

He said he would stay in communication with fellow NFA partner district superintendents and will update the Preston school board on any communication received from NFA regarding the investigation.

Board Chairman Sean Nugent declined to comment following the meeting on the NFA situation, and Seitsinger said he would not comment further.

Preston became the third NFA partner district to address the investigation and their concerns about NFA’s response since arrest warrants and search warrants were made public Nov. 28.

Last week, Norwich Board of Education Chairwoman Yvette Jacaruso and Superintendent Abby Dolliver sent a strongly worded letter to NFA Head of School David Klein and Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sarette Williams asking for documents associated with the school’s internal investigation and asking to participate in any revamping of NFA policies or training of staff in the state-mandated reporting of any suspected abuse or neglect of minors.

c.bessette@theday.com