LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing School Board president said she hopes Mark Coscarella comes back to work for the school district at an "information study session" that was held Thursday night.
"If Dr. Coscarella is exonerated, if this investigation comes back and shows that he's clear of this allegation, then I do hope of course that he chooses to come back and spend more time with us in the Lansing School District," said Gabrielle Lawrence, president of the Lansing School Board.
Lawrence said the district is excited about finding the right person for the superintendent job.
"We are just really excited about finding the right person who is going to work with our district and continue the great work that we have going on," Lawrence said.
However, the Lansing School District confirmed to FOX 47 that Coscarella is out of the running for the superintendent job. The district said he did not apply for the position.
The search comes after the position opened up last year with the retirement of Yvonne Camal Cannul. Deputy Superintendent Mark Coscarella was named acting superintendent and was considered a leading candidate for the job until a FOX 47 News investigation uncovered allegations that he sexually harassed a former student teacher and allowed students to watch pornography when he was Holt's baseball coach.
The deadline to apply for the superintendent position was Wednesday, Feb. 11.
The last time the board met was Thursday, Feb. 6. They told FOX 47 they are expecting to receive an email with information about possible candidates.
Coscarella asked to be placed on voluntary paid non-disciplinary leave until further notice while an investigation and search to replace retiring Canul is completed. Although he is on paid leave, Coscarella is still employed as the deputy superintendent of the Lansing School District.
The results of the investigation into Coscarella have not been released at this time.
Sam Sinicropi has been serving as interim Superintendent since Jan. 1, 2020.
Sinicropi is a veteran administrator within the Lansing School District and has also served as a superintendent in the state of Michigan, according to the Lansing School District.
“Sam Sinicropi is the right leader at the right time for the Lansing School District,” said Rachel Willis, president of the Lansing School District Board of Education. “Everyone knows Sam in Lansing. He is a legend in the school district family. Sam is coming out of retirement, once again, to help the Lansing School District until we complete an extensive open search for a new superintendent.”
He graduated from Everett High School back in 1968 and earned an associate's degree from Lansing Community College. He later earned an undergraduate and graduate degree from Michigan State University.
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