For several months, Chris O’Dell tried to get a response to the non-renewal of his contract as Staples High School boys freshman soccer coach, by superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice.
O’Dell was ready for a Board of Education hearing on 4 dates, in March, April and June. Each time, the board balked.
Finally, 3 weeks ago, Scarice agreed to meet. Unknown to O’Dell, the superintendent recorded their conversation.
Chris O’Dell
The freshman coach raised that issue this morning, in the public comment portion of the BOE meeting.
“I won’t be bullied, embarrassed or blackmailed to not call out this abhorrent behavior,” O’Dell told the board.
After O’Dell’s 2 minutes were up, Scarice responded. He told the BOE that while the meeting was supposed to be confidential, he felt the need to tape it due to numerous “false statements” circulating about the case.
“Even if he felt he had to record what he said, he should have let me know,” O’Dell told “06880” after the board meeting. “What he did was completely unethical.”
The Board has offered one new date for O’Dell’s non-renewal hearing: July 23.
The coach told the board that it conflicts with a family vacation.
This gets more bizarre by the day….Sec. 52-570d. Action for illegal recording of private telephonic communications. (a) No person shall use any instrument, device or equipment to record an oral private telephonic communication unless the use of such instrument, device or equipment (1) is preceded by consent of all parties to the communication and such prior consent either is obtained in writing or is part of, and obtained at the start of, the recording, or (2) is preceded by verbal notification which is recorded at the beginning and is part of the communication by the recording party, or (3) is accompanied by an automatic tone warning device which automatically produces a distinct signal that is repeated at intervals of approximately fifteen seconds during the communication while such instrument, device or equipment is in use.
Sec. 52-570d, of course, applies only to telephone conversations. Connecticut is a one-party consent state with respect to recording in-person conversations which this sounds like. I’m guessing Scarice knew exactly what the law was given his explanation.
If that is the case, while perhaps debatable ethics, it would not have been illegal. Or necessarily inadvisable.
I wonder if he used the recorder in the plant that Kelleher and Landon allegedly used.
The statute John noted is for telephone communications only — not in-person conversations.
Yes. Mea culpa.
the administration from the school level up to the superintendent and the board are all flunking the smell test with flying colors.
Scarice needs to go. Simple as that. Robert Harrington called it a couple of weeks ago.
Chris…Yes and why not the other co conspirators as well?
How Low is Low?
Sounds like Scarice, is following the gop playbook.
Don’t be a sore liberal loser. Your party tried every trick in the book and still lost.
sounds like the superintendent of schools should be up for review
I thought it was illegal in CT to record someone without their knowledge
Apparently it is only illegal to tape phone or electronic conversations.
An ethical lapse. Zero tolerance.
This is a non story.
The coach is clearly going to file a lawsuit, which will be defended with taxpayer funds. If he wins, the judgement will be paid with taxpayer funds.
Scarice is clearly trying to make sure the exact private conversation has been preserved which previous posts (thank you Bill as usual for doing your homework) have shown was legal.
No dog in the fight, more tax $$ to the courts as usual.
Not quite Taxpayers pay for the insurance that pays for the lawsuits… and Westport schools have many more than you hear about.
Scarice needs to be fired! Start a movement to get him fired!
I support removal of Scarice.
I’ve got an idea!!! Why not cut all this expensive BS and appoint “player-coaches”? Let the players nominate and select the coaches from among their ranks. After all, this is Westport and it’s all about the kids.
Setting aside that the “all about the children” trope makes me barf more than most people, I do think there is a continuing drip of evidence that the coaching situation has been completely f’d up by the administration.
It would be interesting to hear the secret tapes, no? And I’m curious as to how knowledge leaked out. He taped it. Okay, let’s hear it.
I can only speak for my own perceptions, and they are opinions, not clinical diagnosis, but Scarice seems like a knuckle-dragging buffoon to me. And the leadership of the BOE, for whatever reason, adores him.
I sure miss Dr Landon. RIP.
I have put in a FOIA request for the recording and am happy to share it.
Regardless of the legality, “secretly” taping a conversation demonstrates a lack of professionalism and poor character for someone in Scarice’s position. Scarice is an inappropriate role model to head up our educational system. In fact, the lack of transparency and professionalism on the part of the BOE is shocking. Westport likes to think of itself as a enlightened town with good governance but many of us are observing that, “the emperor has no clothes.”
Legal or not, the sneaky bastard should be fired simply because the secret recording of the conversation proves that Scarice wanted to “catch” O’Dell in some slip up that would justify the Board’s totally inappropriate actions.
Re “… he felt the need to tape it due to numerous ‘false statements’ circulating about the case”: did the superintendent specifically state what he views are the “false statements.” If not, Dan: would you consider offering the superintendent an opportunity to do an opinion piece on “06880” where he expands on that? Thanks.
“06880” has always been a platform for the superintendent to convey any ideas, on any subject. I have reached out to him and the Board of Education multiple times.
Holly smokes
The taping of the conversation is not a legal question but a question of character. Why did Superintendent Scarice not inform Odell of his intent to record and get his agreement? That’s speaks volumes about intention and moral values. Landon II.
Oh, yeah, still waiting: Mr. Superintendent: Funny, you never responded with an update on the completion of the brand spanking new Coach’s Handbook yet. I know you’re a busy man but I’m sure everyone would appreciate knowing you’re a man of your word and our coaches now know beyond a shadow of a doubt what constitutes a “reportable” incident. So when is the big reveal sir?
what a great story to help us understand why this country is where it’s at.