Fair Lawn High Teacher Allegedly Caught Berating Student on Video Resigns

A Fair Lawn High School special education teacher who was allegedly caught on video telling a student "go cry to your counselor" has resigned.

The Fair Lawn Board of Education approved this week a separation agreement and the resignation of William Scarnaty, the teacher who was widely reported as being the one caught on video, though district officials wouldn't confirm the identity of the teacher caught on camera.

According to the employment separation agreement, the district will continue to pay Scarnaty through June 30, but he will not report to work. The agreement was signed by Scarnaty on Dec. 19 and approved by the school board on Monday after a closed session meeting.

Superintendent Bruce Watson and Board President Cindy Jo Quackenbush declined to comment. The agreement, obtained by Patch through an Open Public Records Act request, includes a section that states officials may not "make or solicit any comments, statements or the like to the media, the public or others that may be considered derogatory or detrimental."

In the video, the teacher appears to berate a student for something that happened before the start of the clip, saying "You're my goddamn student. You get that? I'm your teacher. Don't ever tell me what to do. You get it now? Now sit down... Now go cry to your counselor."

Watson told Patch last month that he was conducting an investigation of the incident while the teacher was out on leave. 

The Fair Lawn Board of Education policy on teaching staff discipline states "discipline measures will include verbal and written warnings as appropriate and will provide, wherever possible, for progressive penalties for repeated violations. Penalties may include suspension, withholding one or more increments, and dismissal."