SAUGERTIES\u00a0\u2014 The superintendent of the Saugerties Central School District resigned Wednesday, one week after the district\u2019s Board of Education said it had completed an internal investigation into the district\u2019s handling of a former wrestling coach indicted for rape.<\/p>\n
In a public letter<\/a> 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\u2019s exit \u201cdoes not represent an accusation or admission of any wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither man acknowledged the criminal investigation into the rape case or a \u201ccover-up culture\u201d alleged by the district attorney.<\/p>\n In July, former Saugerties\u00a0wrestling coach Reid Kappler was indicted on 18 counts of felony rape<\/a> 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\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n Riozzi did not answer questions about whether Kappler is related to Lisa Jane Kappler, the district\u2019s director of pupil personnel services, but said, \u201cat no time was the accused former employee supervised by a family member.\u201d<\/p>\n Prosecutors uncovered the allegations against Kappler\u00a0while investigating Saugerties police officer Sydney Mills, who was also indicted earlier this year<\/a> on felony charges that include rape, sexual abuse and engaging in sexual conduct with a child.<\/p>\n Two months after the allegations against Kappler became public, the Board of Education voted to place\u00a0Erceg on paid leave while it conducted an internal investigation into the district\u2019s handling of the case. That same month, Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji accused school district officials of maintaining a \u201ccover-up\u201d culture over decades, saying in a Town Board meeting that administrators feared repercussions if they reported rape or abuse, the Daily Freeman reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Riozzi said the school district completed its internal investigation earlier this month and had identified \u201careas for improvement.\u201d He did not provide details but said the district would make \u201cpolicy and process changes\u201d after examining its human resource operations, including \u201cjob descriptions, hiring and termination procedures, and organizational structures.\u201d He also said that the board will release \u201cspecific information\u00a0related to the investigation\u201d once it identifies its next steps, though he did not put a timeline on when that would happen.<\/p>\n \u201cThis work is focused on strengthening systems\u00a0\u2014 not assigning blame\u00a0\u2014 and ensuring best practices moving forward,\u201d\u00a0Riozzi told the Times Union.\u00a0<\/p>\n