COASTAL OBSERVER

Chris Bergeron has been reinstated as the director of the Coastal Montessori Charter School after 15 months on paid leave during an investigation of a “possible” sexual assault that occured in 2020.

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office concluded the investigation and no charges were filed. Bergeron had called the accusation “blatantly false.”

After spending about an hour in a closed door session at its monthly meeting this week, the school’s board of directors voted to bring Bergeron back under the terms of his current contract “contingent upon full participation in a structured transition process.”

No date was specified for his return. 

“This decision followed extensive discussions, consultation with an external expert, and the CMCS Board’s commitment to prioritizing the stability and success of the CMCS community,” the board said in a statement.

Bergeron referred questions to his attorney.

“He is very happy and it’s been a long time coming,” said Amiel Rossabi, the attorney.

Bergeron has spoken to the board, Rossabi said, adding that he considers it “a personnel matter between Chris and the board.”

Bergeron was the school’s physical education teacher in May 2023 when was selected as its director.

In September 2023, he was put on paid administrative leave after an Horry County woman filed a complaint with the Georgetown County sheriff’s Office about a “possible sexual assault” of her 13-year-old daughter in October 2020 at Waccamaw Middle School. It named Bergeron, who was a physical education teacher at the middle school at the time, as the suspect.

The incident report gave no details of the alleged assault. It only stated that the mother had met with a deputy and an employee from the victim’s services unit.

In a statement released after the investigation was made public, Bergeron call the accusations “vile, malicious,” and “blatantly false.”

“Being falsely accused is bad enough, but being forced to be away from school and having to avoid communicating with people has made this a nightmare for me and my family,” Bergeron wrote.

On Sept. 3 of this year, Jason Lesley, the public information officer for the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, said in an email that Bergeron “will not be charged with any offense.” He confirmed  this week that the investigation had concluded.

Since September, the charter school’s board met several times in executive session to discuss an unspecified “personnel matter” but took no action until this week.

“This decision was made after careful deliberation, guided by our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the best interests of our students, families, and staff,” Rick Richardson, chairman of the charter school board, said in the statement. “With the structured transition process in place, we are confident that Mr. Bergeron will continue to contribute to the growth and excellence of Coastal Montessori Charter School.”

He declined to discuss the situation further.

The charter school is a public school sponsored by the Georgetown County School District, but it is run by its board.

Bergeron’s return will be facilitated by Alex Herring, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Coastal Carolina University, who will report to the board.

“Dr. Herring conducted an environmental scan to assess CMCS’s strengths and areas for growth,” the board said in the statement. “He will continue working closely with Mr. Bergeron, the CMCS Board, and the CMCS community to support a smooth and productive transition.”

A New Hampshire native, Bergeron and his wife, Tia, moved to Pawleys Island 12 years ago. Tia Bergeron, who worked at the charter school for years, was at the board meeting this week. She declined to comment after the board’s decision and directed all inquiries to Rossabi.

Before being named the charter school director, Bergeron had worked as the physical education teacher and assistant director. He taught math and physical education at Waccamaw Middle. He had also been the head boys lacrosse coach and an assistant coach for multiple sports at Waccamaw High School.

After Bergeron was placed on leave, assistant director Chip Hennecy oversaw the school’s operations. He took a job at Georgetown High School at the beginning of this school year so Trisha Gaskill was appointed interim assistant director. In addition to her director’s duties, Gaskill continued as an Upper Elementary teacher. 

About a dozen people attended the board meeting on Monday. Some were staff members, or former staff members, and some were parents.

During the public comment period, Jeremy Zamorski, who said he was the father of two charter school students, urged the board to settle the matter of the directorship, one way or another.

“As for public perception, I would implore this board of directors to take action on the director position, whichever way you decide, regardless of your decision, just so that this school can regain its momentum and stabilize leadership positions so as to move forward with integrity and spirit,” Zamorski said. “If the members of this board, can, with a clear conscience, consider the facts of any criminal investigation, status of the investigation, and criminal charges, or lack thereof, civil lawsuits, violation of any staff conduct policies or any other tools at your disposal, I am confident that with the proper communication, you can help families like mine feel comfortable with whatever decision you arrive at given the due diligence you all have exercised.”

Correction: This article was updated from the print version to reflect that Trisha Gaskill is interim assistant director and that she was not appointed by the board. The appointment was made by the school operations manager.