— — A 25-year-old substitute teacher and coach has been fired by the North Tonawanda School District after an investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old female student.

Scott Miranto, a graduate of the school system and a former Lumberjacks football player, was fired last week, according to Superintendent Greg Woytila. He was head coach for the junior varsity football team as well as the boys’ modified basketball team. He also spent several years as an assistant coach for the varsity football program.

Woytila said the student and Miranto had a relationship that was not criminal but did violate ethics rules. While Woytila would not confirm or deny whether the relationship was sexual in nature, he did say that it lasted “somewhere in the realm of four to six weeks.”

The district contacted North Tonawanda police on several occasions to verify the legalities of the relationship. The superintendent said it would not have been considered a crime “unless it was coerced or there’s some kind of drugs or alcohol” involved.

“Ethically, these teachers are there to protect and teach kids and not have relationships outside the school,” Woytila said. “There’s not supposed to be any kind of friendship or anything.”

Woytila said a student with knowledge of the relationship told a teacher on Jan. 30, who then reported it to Principal James Fisher. An investigation was launched immediately by Woytila and Fisher, the superintendent said.

Woytila told the Tonawanda News last week that roughly five to seven people were interviewed about the claims, while wild rumors circulated through the school and the community at large.

“We haven’t taken anything lightly, but there’s no text messages or proof,” he said at the time.

“A student who initially brought the concerns to the attention of the teacher, and others who were subsequently identified as potentially having knowledge were interview on multiple occasions during the past week,” a statement released by the district said.

While finding the rumors to be unfounded early on,  Woytila said that “credible testimony that substantiates an improper relationship between the student and Miranto” came forward on Friday.

“We did some more investigating and late Friday after school a student came in to tell Mr. Fisher some things,” Woytila said, though he would not elaborate on the details. “The student came in and reported additional information. Based on that additional information we re-interviewed. We took that back to them (Miranto and the student). That led them to admitting that there was more to this.”

The district will file a report with the New York State Department of Education, which will decide if Miranto’s teacher certification will be revoked.

“They review the report then they may call me with future questions and send out their own investigators,” Woytila said of the state.  

Miranto had been a substitute teacher in North Tonawanda for the last three or four years, Woytila said.

“The substitute as well as the student’s family need to handle it now with whatever process they see fit,” he said.