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Lawyer Calls For Highest Sex-Offender Status For Ex-Greeley Teacher

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - The lawyer for four Horace Greeley High School families whose children were sexually assaulted by a former Chappaqua Central School District drama teacher is calling on the judge to give him the highest degree of sexual offender status.

Christopher Schraufnagel

Christopher Schraufnagel

Photo Credit: File photo

Attorney David Engelsher says that former Greeley High School teacher Christopher Schraufnagel should be assigned a Level 3 sex offender status, which means he is a “high risk of repeat offense, and a threat to public safety exists”

New Castle Town Court Judge Douglas Kraus is expected to announce Schraufnagel’s designation as soon as Friday. 

“It is expected that on Friday, Judge Douglas M. Kraus will release his long-awaited decision regarding which degree of sexual offender status he will assign to admitted predator, Christopher Schraufnagel," Engelsher stated. "Based on the harm inflicted on these children, by Schraufnagel, my clients and I pray that Judge Kraus assigns Level 3."

Schraufnagel served as a drama teacher at Horace Greeley from 2003 until his resignation in 2015. He was accused of having sexual contact with three high school students over a four-year span and several others have come forward since.

Criminal allegations against Schraufnagel include acts of oral sex with a 15-year-old student and unspecified sexual contact and conversations with another. He was also accused of asking a student to kiss a group of classmates for a photo slideshow. Several other students came forward with civil lawsuits after the initial claims against the former educator.

The civil accusers have been represented by Engelsher, an attorney who also lives in the school district. In his filings, Engelsher outlined a series of sordid allegations against Schraufnagel, including fondling of students; and involving students in events such as "Sick Secret Santa." In the case of the events, Schraufnagel is accused of exposing the students to human feces placed in a cup, pubic hair baked into cake and sperm placed in a bottle.

Allegations against Schraufnagel came to light in June 2015 and he resigned the following September. Schraufnagel was levied with criminal sex-abuse charged in October that year.

In a statement earlier this year, Schaufnagel apologized to his victims and the Chappaqua community during an appearance in New Castle Town Court, expressing his “continual” remorse for his victims. In his statement, he said, as an adult, he should have known better than to cross the line with students.

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