Rochester City School District

131 West Broad Street

Rochester, New York 14614

September 23, 2015

Dear Families of School of the Arts,
Were writing to let you know that a former substitute athletic coach and substitute teacher at our school was
arrested yesterday and accused of having a sexual relationship with an underage student. Mr. Michael
Schimek has been a substitute teacher in the District since 2012. He served as a substitute assistant coach for
the School of the Arts track team toward the end of their season last school year. He has not been at School
of the Arts this school year.
We have no evidence that inappropriate activity occurred on school property. However, if you or your child
have information relevant to Mr. Schimek or this case, please call 911 and speak with the police.
Upon being informed yesterday that Mr. Schimek was under investigation, the District immediately took
steps to make sure that he would not be allowed to teach or have contact with students in any city school. Mr.
Schimek has been serving as a substitute teacher at other schools and assistant football coach at Edison
Career and Technology High School this year.
We regret having to share this news, which creates a painful situation for our community. We have been in
touch with the victims family and have offered the schools support. We ask the entire SOTA community to
respect the privacy of the victim and her family as we allow the justice system to run its course. Let us
demonstrate the compassion and strong sense of community that makes School of the Arts special for our
students, families, and staff.
Sincerely,

Brenda Pacheco
Principal

Amy Schiavi
School Chief of Secondary Schools