Richard Graffanino, 39, technology teacher at River Dell Middle School, River Dell Regional School District, River Edge, New Jersey, "showed students a clip of himself in bed with an actress" The Record: River Dell Regional can fire teacher who showed film clip of himself in bed with actress, arbitrator says (Feb 18 2014) A River Dell Regional School District teacher with a career as an actor has lost his teaching job after students claimed he showed them a film scene of himself in bed with an actress. An arbitrator’s ruling made public Tuesday outlined the district’s case against the teacher, Richard Graffanino, and concluded that he showed six eighth-grade girls an inappropriate video and should be fired. The teacher denied he showed students the film and said the school’s investigation was flawed. ...The case hinged on allegations by six students last April that he showed them an inappropriate video. The scene showed Graffanino’s character in bed with a woman and “conveys the impression that the characters are waking up after having sex the night before,” wrote the arbitrator, Walt De Treux. “The actors engage in some brief, awkward small talk and they kiss as the actress rolls on top” of the teacher’s character. The ruling said a sheet covers the woman just below her bare shoulders and covers him to his waistline, exposing his bare torso. Tags:
Associated Press articles based on the above article in The Record: NBC Philadelphia: Bed Scene Clip Costs NJ Actor-Teacher Day Job (Feb 19 2014) The Daily Journal: New Jersey teacher fired for film clip of him in bed (Feb 19 2014) Yahoo! News: Bed scene film clip costs NJ actor-teacher day job (Feb 19 2014) ABC News: Bed Scene Film Clip Costs NJ Actor-Teacher Day Job (Feb 19 2014) WIS TV: Bed scene film clip costs NJ actor-teacher day job (Feb 19 2014) Graffanino has played a number of roles in film and TV, including parts on “Law & Order” and “30 Rock,” according to his resume. The clip seen by the students was from a New York University graduate student’s film.
Philly Mag: MORNING TEA: NJ Actor-Teacher Fired for Showing Students Bedroom Scene Clip (Feb 20 2014) Richard Graffanino, a technology teacher who moonlights as an actor in River Edge, N.J., was fired from his teaching job for showing middle school students a clip of him in bed with an actress. "... A sheet covers the woman just below her bare shoulders and the shirtless Graffanino up to his waist.”
