MacArthur assistant principal reassigned

Levittown School District officials reassigned a MacArthur High School assistant principal after learning of reports that said that he scammed a colleague out of tens of thousands of dollars while he worked in New York City.

Michael Scaduto, of North Bellmore, admitted to taking $15,000 under false pretenses from a teacher “subordinate” when he worked in the New York City school system in 2015, according to a May 17 disposition by the NYC Conflicts of Interest Board.

According to the disposition, Scaduto told the teacher that the money was for a “charitable cause.” According to published reports, Scaduto claimed that he was mentoring an eight-year-old with cancer, and needed the money to assist the child’s family, but kept the money for himself.

“I kept all of the money that she gave me for myself,” Scaduto admitted, in the disposition.

Scaduto eventually returned the money after the teacher found out the truth, and was fined $7,000 by the COIB.

Scaduto took over the position formerly held by Joseph Sheehan, who became MacArthur’s principal, in 2015. In a September 2015 interview with the Herald, Scaduto said that his primary responsibilities as an assistant principal are dealing with discipline, handling attendance and teacher observations. He is paid $134,310 a year, according to the district.

MacArthur takes in students from northern parts of Wantagh and Seaford.

District officials said that while they are not conducting an investigation, Scaduto has been reassigned home until further notice. Sheehan and Anne Rao, another assistant principal, will take on his responsibilities.

In a June 5 letter to parents and guardians, Dr. Tonie McDonald, Levittown’s superintendent, said that the district had no knowledge of Scaduto’s actions. She also noted that district leaders conducted all state-mandated and in-house background checks before hiring him, adding that they revealed “a clean history.”

McDonald said there have been no reported incidents involving Scaduto in Levittown. “We take these allegations very seriously,” she wrote.

Lloyd Somer, Scaduto’s attorney, declined to comment.