Andes Central School superintendent resigns

Mar. 13—The Andes Central School Board announced on the school's website Friday, March 10, it accepted the resignation of former superintendent Robert Chakar Jr. on March 2.

"The board unanimously approved the resignation, and we want to assure the school community of our unwavering belief in our faculty and staff's ability to educate and care for our students and families," Andes Board of Education President Kelly Bauer said in a prepared statement. "We want to thank our community for its strength and loyalty to the district during this challenging time."

Chakar was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 17, 2022 after complaints were levied against him. Bauer said last year the board was made aware by the school's Dignity for All Students Act Coordinator Maureen Burton of a number of alleged violations by Chakar. Bauer said she couldn't give the details on who the complainants are, whether they were staff or students, or the nature of the complaints.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond said last May, his office completed an investigation into complaints about Chakar, and said no criminal charges would be pressed against him. Chakar was accused of inappropriately touching a student.

Chakar's resignation comes about two months after both the Andes Faculty Association and the Teamsters Local 317 unions filed a "no confidence" vote against him. In the letter to the board, the unions said "Dr. Chakar has been on paid administrative leave for nearly a year regarding allegations of misconduct, sexual harassment and Title IX violations. The votes demonstrate that both unions feel that Dr. Chakar's leadership is untenable and cannot see the possibility of moving forward with him in the role of Superintendent of Schools."

Anthony Coiro, president of the Andes Faculty Association, said in an email, "The vote was a super majority, including one abstention, and one in favor of the superintendent. The union decided to vote No Confidence because of the damage the superintendent did to Andes pristine educational community. Andes has always been a family environment that serves its student body at an individual's level. Our goal was to establish the family environment of the school, without concern of one individual's monetary gain."

In his resignation letter, Chakar said "After an extensive investigation that involved multiple reputable law firms, the district received several reports that none of the allegations violated Title IX and no other violations were brought to the attention of the Board by the investigators." Chakar, who had been the school's superintendent for 13 years, said "It has truly been a pleasure and an honor of a lifetime to work on behalf of this community for the many years I have been allowed to."

Catherine Barber-Graves is the school's interim superintendent.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.