Ex-Hackensack football coach now works at Hillers School

Daniel Casasnovas, who once coached football at Hackensack High School, has been cleared of "an accusation made by a student" after investigations by both the state Department of Children and Families, and the city's Board of Education (Verona-Cedar Grove Times photo).

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Former Hackensack High School football coach Dan Casasnovas has returned to work.

Casasnovas is the physical education teacher at Fanny Meyer Hillers Elementary School, replacing Brett Koenig, who assumed the same job at the high school.

In a letter to Hillers parents, interim Superintendent Joseph Cicchelli noted Casasnovas was put on leave in the spring while "an accusation made by a student" was investigated by the state Department of Children and Families' Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit.

"We received a letter ... that indicated the conclusion of their investigative finding was that 'Neglect/Substantial Risk of Physical Injury was unfounded ....'

"'No adjudicative findings have been made,'" state officials said.

The Board of Education launched its own investigation, and its findings "concur" with the state investigation, Cicchelli said.

"There was no proof on any wrongdoing," said one person familiar with the school board investigation.

'Distraction and stigma'

"Unfortunately, during this process, inaccurate and inappropriate information was posted on social media," Cicchelli said in his letter to parents.

"As is often said in court, 'You cannot un-ring the bell.' Once it has been rung, you cannot un-hear it.

"What is placed on the internet is there forever and so it is in this situation. 

"Because of that fact, a decision was made to transfer Mr. Casasnovas to an elementary level position, so that he may continue to teach without the distraction and stigma resulting from those posts.

"We appreciate your understanding and support of this decision." 

Readers get more slanted reporting on Teterboro jet noise

This Teterboro Airport-bound business jet was among several I saw passing low over homes and an elementary school in southwest Hackensack on April 18 -- two weeks after a new flight path was supposed to keep aircraft away from nearby Hackensack University Medical Center and Prospect Avenue high-rises.

The Fanny Meyer Hillers Elementary School is in the neighborhood, which hasn't seen any relief from aircraft noise.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record's front page today and this past Monday reports a new flight path to keep noisy corporate jets away from Hackensack never went into effect on April 4.

That wasn't news to residents of southwest Hackensack, where business jets heading for Teterboro Airport continue to skim the roofs of Prospect Avenue high-rises and Hackensack University Medical Center.

In fact, Staff Writer Paul Berger, who wrote tens of thousands of words on the flight-path change before April 4, was clueless until he was contacted by Hackensack gadfly Regina DiPasqua, who was quoted on Monday's front page:

"They are still flying very low," said DiPasqua, who lives near the airport and hadn't noticed any difference in jet noise that drowns out conversation and television.

"You can read the numbers on the plane," she added.

Slanted coverage

Today's coverage reports the Federal Aviation Administration says it will be another six weeks before the new flight path goes into effect, requiring pilots to begin following Route 17 in northern Bergen County (A-1 and L-1).

In the weeks before the initial start date of April 4, Berger quoted officials in Mahwah and other towns, bitching and moaning that noisy jets would be flying over their communities and schools.

I never saw similar reporting from Hackensack after moving in 2007 to the city's Fairmount section, which is under the noisy landing paths of both Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports.

Nor has The Record quoted residents of Teaneck and Englewood in recent years about aircraft noise from Teterboro jets.

Hackensack news?

Staff Writer John Seasly has a follow-up today to the announcement by Hackensack Police Director Mike Mordaga that he is leaving the job on May 16 (L-1).

Seasly has written more stories about the city's Police Department than any other agency.

However, the reporter continues to ignore Hackensack schools and Board of Education.

Fort Lee readers will find a story on their school budget and tax hike on L-3 today, but Seasly never reported the March 1 adoption of Hackensack's much larger school budget or any details.

The $79 million tax levy to support a $104 million school budget was approved last week by a tiny minority of the 20,000 Hackensack residents who are registered to vote.