Norwich Free Academy has cut ties with yet another person providing athletic training at the Academy.
In a statement to parents Monday evening, NFA said police alerted the academy late Friday afternoon about concerns regarding the “conduct of an individual providing athletic training services on campus.”
That person is employed by a third-party service provider. NFA said they immediately requested a new trainer be assigned to the school.
There is no word on what the conduct was that caused concern, but NFA spokesperson Geoffrey Serra told NBC Connecticut that individual is no longer associated with nor has access to campus.
They directed all questions to Norwich Police Department calling it a “police matter.”
This most recent incident is amid a continuing investigation into former NFA assistant athletic coach Anthony Facchini. The 25-year-old from Norwich is accused of having sexual relations with two students starting in 2017, while he was on staff.
Facchini was arrested on Sept. 12 and has since pleaded not guilty to two charges of second-degree sex assault.
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The school fired him over the summer, before the arrest. He was a seasonal assistant coach in football, track, indoor track and was a strength and conditioning coach, according to Serra.
Athletic Director Eric Swallow resigned Sept. 10, two days before Facchini’s arrest. Authorities haven’t said if it’s connected to the investigation.
Tuesday, Norwich Police sent out a statement that they’re continuing to investigate Facchini’s case and cannot comment on potential subjects of the investigation.
In a statement to NBC Connecticut Tuesday, Serra said the Academy is limited on information they can release but they and Norwich Police “are continuing to work together regarding this matter and will continue to do so. Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our students and faculty is our primary focus at Norwich Free Academy.”
As for why NFA alerted parents Monday about the athletic trainer incident when police flagged the Academy on Friday, Serra wrote to NBC Connecticut via email, “Because this news came to us during a three-day weekend, we strategically decided that it would be best to share the information on Monday evening before the Tuesday school day.”
An NFA mom, who didn’t want to be identified, said she has a lot of questions.
“I have confidence in the academy that they’re doing everything they can to address the issue. They usually are pretty good about responding to things.”
