Dean Coach on Leave at Central Catholic High

By Kori Tuitt
Lowell Sun
April 29, 2017

http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_30954719/dean-coach-leave-at-central-catholic-high

The Central Catholic High School dean of students and basketball coach allegedly sent inappropriate messages on Snapchat to a former student, leading to the school placing him on administrative leave this week.

The Central Catholic administrator on leave for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a former student is Dean of Students and basketball coach Richard Nault, according to The Eagle Tribune.

The action on Nault -- who has led the perennial powerhouse basketball team in Lawrence for about a decade -- comes in the wake of the school firing Andrew Nikonchuk, of Lowell.

Also, the employee who was placed on administrative leave for allegedly posting "compromising photos" of himself online is social studies teacher John Housianitis, according to The Eagle Tribune. He's a former Lawrence School Committee member.

Central Catholic President Christopher Sullivan sent an email to families on Thursday stating that an administrator was on leave for sending inappropriate messages through social media to a former student last month. A teacher was also placed on administrative leave for posting compromising photos of himself to an "adults-only, password protected website."

The Sun reached out to Central Catholic spokesman David DeFillippo, who did not respond to email and phone inquiries on the identities of those individuals on administrative leave. The Sun also visited the school Friday to speak with DeFillippo, who was unavailable.

Screen shots of the messages that Nault allegedly sent have been spreading across the school community, a copy of which was obtained by The Sun.

In one of the Snapchat messages that Nault allegedly sent to a former student, he wrote, "Boyfriend?? MY bad too much."

Then he allegedly wrote, "Ok ok probably shouldn't be this forward with ya."

In a Twitter direct message to the former student, he allegedly wrote, "... my bad about last night. I said things that I never should have said and I crossed the line. A big part of that was because I was pretty drunk. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable and I am sorry if I was creepy even a lil bit.

"I am asking to please keep all of this between us," he added. "If this ever got out I would probably lose my job at CC."

The Sun attempted to reach Nault, but his phone numbers were unreachable.

The news of these employees being placed on leave comes shortly after Nikonchuk was fired Tuesday following allegations that he had drugged and raped a former male student off campus in Lowell in 2006. He was most recently the assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, was a former teacher and a graduate of the high school.

"Both individuals involved will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of our investigation," Sullivan said in the email to families Thursday. "We will communicate the nature of our findings and status of each individual's employment once that process is complete."

As parents packed into the school's parking lot Friday afternoon to pick up students, The Sun approached about 30 parents and students, in their vehicles and walking near the school. Most declined to comment on the allegations of staff misconduct.

Jeannie Kassis of Salem, N.H., has two children who are freshmen at the school.

"It's sad. It's scary," Kassis said. "You hope that your kids are smart enough to not be put into a position where they're drinking and doing drugs with their teachers.

"But, I still love this school and I'm not going to pull my kids out of it," she added.

Dennis King, who is a science teacher at the school and a member of the Chelmsford School Committee, declined to comment on the allegations that have thrust the school into the spotlight this past week.

"It's a good place to work, that's all I can tell you," King said.

Reporter Rick Sobey contributed to this report.

Contact: ktuitt@lowellsun.com