MANCHESTER--For the second time this school year, a Manchester charter school principal has been placed on paid administrative leave following sexual harassment allegations.
A letter from the Odyssey Community School's Board of Trustees President Beth Mix says the principal, Chris Bugbee, was placed on leave again because it's "impossible" for him to do his job due to all the publicity of these allegations.
Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, is demanding that the state Department of Education investigate. They claim the Odyssey's Board of Trustees ignored allegations by teachers against their boss.
In sworn statements from six teachers, mostly former employees, they claim Bugbee made sexual advances while at parties and bars. Some of those statements include, in part, "....watched him put his hands all over her body, including her thighs, while making sexually suggestive comments and jokes." Another allegation said in part that he would "initiate drinking games like 'Truth or Dare' where female teachers had to show their cleavage and breasts or had to kiss each other or him."
Mix tells FOX 61 she took immediate action when learning of these allegations. She says an outside attorney and human resources professional reviewed the complaints of those who were willing to share their stories. Mix says that attorney found no evidence supporting the allegations. Connecticut Education Association says they were not shown any findings from that report conducted while Bugbee was placed on paid administrative leave back in September.
The state DOE says they are take this investigation very seriously. There's no word how long that will take or how long Bugbee will be out again.
