Stonington — The Board of Education has scheduled a meeting Monday night to discuss the state investigation into how the school system has handled the allegations against former high school teacher Timothy Chokas and will allow the public to comment on the controversy.

This will be the first time that students, parents and residents will be able to address the board on the issue since The Day published a series of stories beginning June 23 that reported numerous female students accused Chokas of inappropriately touching them and other classmates and looked at how those complaints were handled by school officials, who began receiving them at least as far back as 2013.

The agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting in the high school commons states the board first will meet behind closed doors for “Discussion of an attorney-client privileged communication concerning pending Office of Child Advocate investigation and related legal matters.”

The board then will move into open session to discuss the “process of receiving and response to Office of the Child Advocate report.”

That will be followed by public comment.

“We believe it is very important for the community to be involved in this process and this is just a starting point,” school board Chairwoman Alexa Garvey said Friday.

Board of Education member Alisa Morrison, who has been critical of how the school system has handled the allegations, twice urged her fellow board members to hold a meeting after Garvey had said no meeting would be held until the OCA report was received. It is unknown when that report will be complete or if it will be done before the start of school on Sept. 3. Board members agreed last Sunday to meet after Morrison said she was trying to get two other members to join her to force a meeting under board bylaws.

Last week Morrison also called on the board to launch an independent investigation into how the school system has handled the matter and suggested the school system suspend with pay high school Principal Mark Friese and Director of Guidance Margo Crowley and perhaps Superintendent of Schools Van Riley to ensure they are “not part of the picture” while the investigation is underway.

Morrison said various aspects of the complaints and how they were handled were never shared with board members.

Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said last week that she requested documents from the school system and that her review was in its beginning stages. She could not say when the review would be complete because she may need to request additional information and interview school officials. Eagan began her review after reading The Day’s reporting on the issue last month.

The scope of her investigation and report has not been disclosed, though it is not expected to include interviews with students who have filed complaints about Chokas.

It also was unclear whether Eagan, who could not be reached for comment Friday, is seeking evidence that Friese, Riley and Crowley reported the allegations to the state Department of Children and Families or local police.

Former students speaking up

More than 25 female students dating back to 2004 have told The Day that Chokas repeatedly touched them and other classmates, making them feel uncomfortable. Others have been posting their complaints on social media.

One former student, Hannah Mahoney, who graduated in 2016 and now is in college studying to be a teacher, took to Twitter this week and called it “disgusting” that Friese received complaints from what she said were dozens of girls about Chokas “touching their butts and upper thighs and making them uncomfortable in their learning environment over YEARS and did nothing."

“Mr. Friese is responsible, any teachers who knew about him is responsible and I’m willing to bet loads of them knew and chose to turn a blind eye,” she posted, adding that she had left a phone message for Friese expressing her disappointment in him. “Everyone who knew and ignored the issue failed at their job as teachers to protect their students. I am so disappointed but more than that I am ANGRY and u should be too.”

The complaints by students include that Chokas, who also served as the girls’ assistant golf and soccer coach, allegedly placed his legs on girls’ laps, touched their backs and thighs, patted their buttocks, massaged their shoulders, leaned up against them and tickled them. They also allege he asked about their boyfriends, struck one girl in the buttocks with a cane he was using and asked them to call him “Uncle Chokas.” The alleged touching took place in his classroom, an adjacent photo darkroom and during golf and soccer practice. Those who have spoken to The Day say the touching was pervasive and occurred daily.

Girls have said they filed complaints with school officials including Friese and Crowley in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2019. None of these complaints was ever placed in Chokas’ personnel file nor is there any record of disciplinary action against him in that file.

With the exception of the January 2019 complaint that led to Chokas’ resignation, it is unknown whether the school system ever reported any of the other complaints received about him to DCF or police. The state’s mandatory reporting law requires school officials and employees to report to DCF or police within 24 hours if they have “reasonable cause to suspect” that a child under 18 has been the victim of abuse.

Riley has refused to say whether the school system reported those other incidents to DCF or police, saying school officials had investigated every concern, acted appropriately and followed all procedures.

But students and their parents who made the 2017 complaints to Friese and Crowley say they were never interviewed by DCF or local police; such interviews typically occur when a report is made. DCF does not discuss or confirm whether it has received a complaint.

The Day has now filed two complaints with the state Freedom of Information Commission regarding the school system's failure to release documents related to the Chokas matter and one for withholding records of complaints and disciplinary action against him and saying no such records existed in his personnel file.

Chokas, a technology and media teacher who was hired in 2003, resigned in January after school officials received a complaint that he had inappropriate contact with a female student.

School officials signed a confidential settlement agreement that paid him his $81,396 salary and health insurance through June 30. They also agreed not to fire Chokas and not disclose any information concerning his employment or separation from his position to anyone at any time, except as required by law. Chokas also agreed not to take legal action against the school system.

j.wojtas@theday.com