Central Catholic's Nault Resigns after Investigation
By Lisa Kashinsky
Richard Nault, one of the two Central Catholic High School staff members placed on leave last week pending the results of misconduct investigations, announced his resignation from the school on Friday. School spokesman David DeFillippo released two statements Friday afternoon confirming the resignation, one from Nault and the other from Central Catholic President Christopher F. Sullivan. “Today, it is with great sadness that I am announcing my resignation from Central Catholic High School as the Dean of Students and head basketball coach,” Nault said. Nault was placed on leave last week along with social studies teacher John Housianitis as the misconduct investigations got underway. The school would not comment on Housianitis on Friday. Nault's resignation comes as the school has been embroiled by accusations of improper conduct against staff members, beginning with the abrupt firing of another administrator, Andrew Nikonchuk, on April 25 for “violating appropriate social boundaries between students and faculty.” Nikonchuk, 36, of Lowell, is now being investigated by the Middlesex County district attorney's office after a graduate of the Class of 2008 said he may have been drugged and raped by Nikonchuk in 2006. The alleged assault did not occur on school property. There was no update on that investigation Friday. In the days following Nikonchuk's firing, Nault and Housianitis were placed on leave. Nault reportedly sent inappropriate messages through a social media site to a former student who graduated in 2016, according to the school. Screen shots of those messages had circulated through the Central community last week. Sullivan said in a statement Friday that he accepted Nault's resignation “with regret.” “Over recent months, Mr. Nault engaged a recent graduate and alumna of Central Catholic on a social media site, a practice that cannot be tolerated at our school,” Sullivan said. “This lapse of good judgment is the only incident or violation of the school’s faculty code by Mr. Nault in the 11 years he has been employed at Central. Mr. Nault has been forthcoming throughout the entire process,” he continued. A letter saying the two teachers had been suspended – which did not reference either one by name – was sent to the Central community on Thursday, April 27. Nault's resignation was listed effective as of April 26. Central Catholic refused to respond to follow-up questions from The Eagle-Tribune about Nault's resignation on Friday, including how the resignation was allowed to be retroactive. Nault, 45, graduated from Central Catholic in 1990. He called the school his “second home” in his statement and said throughout his time there he “always sought to improve the life of the school and its students.” He wished the school and its students “continued success both academically and athletically.” He also thanked his family, friends and “supporters” for their “encouragement over the past few weeks.” “I am now looking forward to focusing on my family and moving on to the next chapter in our lives,” Nault said. Nault's photo and information had been removed from the school's website Friday afternoon. His resignation also raised questions about Housianitis' status with the school. Housianitis was placed on leave after he posted compromising photos of himself on an adults-only, password-protected website, screen shots of which then began circulating the Central community, according to Sullivan's letter last Thursday. “This staff member’s online behavior is inconsistent with the values of self-respect, compassion for others, and healthy decision-making for the children we serve,” said Sullivan, who did not specifically name Housianitis in his letter. Reached via phone Friday afternoon, Housianitis again said he had no comment on the matter. Contact: lkashinsky@eagletribune.com
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