SAUGERTIES — The superintendent of the Saugerties Central School District resigned Wednesday, one week after the district’s Board of Education said it had completed an internal investigation into the district’s handling of a former wrestling coach indicted for rape.
In a public letter announcing his departure, Daniel Erceg did not say why he left the position. In an email Thursday to the Times Union, Board of Education President Jeffrey Riozzi said Erceg’s exit “does not represent an accusation or admission of any wrongdoing.”
Neither man acknowledged the criminal investigation into the rape case or a “cover-up culture” alleged by the district attorney.
In July, former Saugerties wrestling coach Reid Kappler was indicted on 18 counts of felony rape following allegations that he engaged in sexual conduct with two students he coached while employed as a wrestling coach and school custodian from 2023 to 2024. At the time, the students, both girls, were 15 and 16 years old, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.
Riozzi did not answer questions about whether Kappler is related to Lisa Jane Kappler, the district’s director of pupil personnel services, but said, “at no time was the accused former employee supervised by a family member.”
Prosecutors uncovered the allegations against Kappler while investigating Saugerties police officer Sydney Mills, who was also indicted earlier this year on felony charges that include rape, sexual abuse and engaging in sexual conduct with a child.
Two months after the allegations against Kappler became public, the Board of Education voted to place Erceg on paid leave while it conducted an internal investigation into the district’s handling of the case. That same month, Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji accused school district officials of maintaining a “cover-up” culture over decades, saying in a Town Board meeting that administrators feared repercussions if they reported rape or abuse, the Daily Freeman reported.
Riozzi said the school district completed its internal investigation earlier this month and had identified “areas for improvement.” He did not provide details but said the district would make “policy and process changes” after examining its human resource operations, including “job descriptions, hiring and termination procedures, and organizational structures.” He also said that the board will release “specific information related to the investigation” once it identifies its next steps, though he did not put a timeline on when that would happen.
“This work is focused on strengthening systems — not assigning blame — and ensuring best practices moving forward,” Riozzi told the Times Union.
Erceg was an assistant principal at Saugerties High School, director of human resources and deputy superintendent before being named superintendent in 2023.