School District Settles Decades Old Sex Abuse Claim, Plus News on the SHS Auditorium Renovation

At the Board of Education meeting on Monday December 4th, it was announced that the Scarsdale School District planned to settle a decades old, sexual abuse claim. As described in the Meeting Highlights, Superintendent Dr. Patrick stated:

“You may be aware that in 2019, New York State enacted the Child Victims Act, a law that extends the time frame during which a survivor of childhood sexual abuse can pursue criminal charges against their alleged offender. This legislation allows victims to initiate legal action, regardless of the length of time that has passed since the abuse took place.

In tonight’s consent agenda, the Board is being asked to approve a settlement in a legal matter brought under this legislation. School districts across New York State have been named in lawsuits stemming from the Child Victims Act, including Scarsdale.

The allegations made in the case before the Board tonight date back to the 1970s. If approved, the fully executed agreement will be posted in this meeting’s Board Docs agenda tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. To date, there are four other outstanding claims against the District that include allegations dating back to the 1970s and into the 1990s. As such, none of the cases include claims against any current employee or anyone employed in Scarsdale School in more than 25 years. As these cases fall into the category of pending litigation, I cannot comment further on them at this time.

I will conclude this statement by stating emphatically that we condemn all forms of abuse and mistreatment of children. As educators, we remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of our students through ongoing training with our entire staff, including how to recognize signs of potential abuse and how to report any suspicions of wrongdoing. We take this obligation very, very seriously. Our hearts go out to all victims of abuse and to their loved ones.”

The Settlement Agreement posted to the District website after the meeting on Tuesday December 5th, states that the District has entered into a voluntary agreement with Plaintiff Michael Medeiros, formerly known as Michael Reingold, to pay a monetary settlement of $50,000. The Settlement Agreement further states that the payment “will not be construed as an admission of liability” and also makes clear that the plaintiff agrees to the “unconditional and full release by plaintiff of claims” barring him from taking any further action against the Scarsdale School District, the high school, heirs, agents, assigns, attorneys, or insurance carriers.

The Agreement also requires Mederios to take down all online posts about his complaint and to “no longer publish, disseminate, or otherwise continue to publish any statements” about the Defendant (Scarsdale School District).”

In his complaint, Medeiros alleged that he was sexually abused by an unidentified cafeteria worker in the 1970s.

It was also discovered that, in an effort to gain perspective on the Plaintiff’s character and credibility, the District’s legal counsel “made numerous discovery demands seeking material concerning any and all other litigation that the Plaintiff was involved in.” According to a legal letter addressed to the presiding judge and filed in the case, the Plaintiff’s counsel provided the defense with information on two lawsuits that alleged that the Plaintiff had raped and sexually abused two coworkers. The same letter further stated that the Plaintiff was engaged in another lawsuit against Rockefeller University Hospital alleging that a doctor there had sexually abused him during the same time frame as the alleged abuse took place in Scarsdale. A copy of the letter can be found at the website Trellis.  

SHS Auditorium Renovation

Another highlight from the BOE meeting on December 4th, was an announcement from Andrew Lennon that the Scarsdale High School Auditorium project is moving forward in a timely manner. On November 20th, the architects for the project submitted permit requests to the Facility Planning Department at the New York State Education Department. It is the Facility Department that reviews Capital Projects and issues building permits. Lennon reported that it should take approximately 16 to 18 weeks for them to review, and that the District anticipates getting the permit around the middle of March. This means the District should be able to publish bids by the end of March/beginning of April and to issue contracts for a June start date. According to Lennon, these dates are in accordance with the District’s timeline for the project and keeps us on track for a January 2025 completion.

Belonging Survey

In addition, Dr. Patrick encouraged viewers to take part in the District’s Belonging Survey. In an earlier email to parents he stated, “The parent/caregiver survey measures the sense of belonging experienced by parents and caregivers when engaged with our schools. Parents and caregivers are asked to rate their experience of the school environment, staff practices related to diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and to the degree to which those practices are equitable. We sincerely hope you, our parents and caregivers, will also take the time to share your views about your sense of belonging within the Scarsdale Schools community. Please click here for more information about the belonging survey and click here to visit Search Institute.