Fired Central Catholic School Official Under DA's Review

LAWRENCE — An adminstrator for a private Catholic high school in the Merrimack Valley was fired for allegedly failing to maintain "appropriate social boundaries" with students, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

The matter of Andrew Nikonchuk, 36, of Lowell, Central Catholic's fired director of curriculum and instruction, has been referred to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan's office for review for possible criminal charges, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

On Tuesday night, Central Catholic announced Nikonchuk was fired for “violating appropriate social boundaries between students and faculty.”

A press release from the school did not detail the allegations against Nikonchuk, who also served as the academic adviser to the student athletes on the hockey team.

But the Boston Globe reports that at a former student is claiming he was drugged and raped in 2006.

“The employment of Andrew Nikonchuk, an administrator at Central Catholic High School, has been terminated for cause after it was determined he had violated the school’s policies pertaining to appropriate social boundaries between students and faculty,” Central President Christopher Sullivan said in the press release.

For more on this story read the Eagle-Tribune.