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Former Area Drama Teacher To Accept Revised Plea Deal In Sex-Abuse Case

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. -- Former Horace Greeley High School drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel has agreed to accept a revised plea deal in his sex-abuse case after New Castle Town Justice Douglas Kraus rejected the first iteration, Daily Voice confirmed with the court on Tuesday.

Christopher Schraufnagel walks out of New Castle Justice Court in Chappaqua following his appearance on July 14, 2016.

Christopher Schraufnagel walks out of New Castle Justice Court in Chappaqua following his appearance on July 14, 2016.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie

While charges were not immediately available for the proposed revision, the court confirmed that it will include having Schraufnagel formally register as a sex offender. 

If Schraufnagel formally pleads guilty, and if Kraus accepts the revised deal, then no trial will be held in the criminal case.

The court learned of Schraufnagel's intent to accept the revised agreement due to an email submitted by his attorney.

Kraus rejected the initial version of the deal because it lacked sex-offender registration. The first version called for Schraufnagel to plead guilty to three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child and to serve three years of probation. Schraufnagel would have been subject to monitoring conditions similar to that of a sex offender but only for the course of his probation.

Schraufnagel entered a guilty plea for the first deal in early August. However, the plea cannot be used as evidence should his criminal case move to a trial.

The next court date for the case, when Schraufnagel and Kraus may have an opportunity to give their formal approvals for the new plea deal, is set for Thursday, Nov. 10.

Schraufnagel, who worked at Greeley from 2003 to 2015, currently faces one felony count of a criminal sexual act, four misdemeanor sex-abuse counts and one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. He is accused of having sexual contact with two Greeley students and of endangering a third in a non-sexual way.

The former teacher also faces a series of state and federal lawsuits form a total of seven student accusers; two of those accusers are also involved in the criminal case.

The sex-abuse case has served as a point of tension in the Chappaqua Central School District. On Monday, the school board announced that Superintendent Lyn McKay, whose contract does not expire until June 2018, would resign. The Schraufnagel controversy was not mentioned in the board's remarks, nor was it mentioned by McKay herself in a separate statement, but McKay's resignation follows calls from several parents for her to step down due to the sex-abuse case.

Previous coverage regarding Schraufnagel can be found here.

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