Pine Bush school social worker charged with child endangerment, police say

The arrest of a Pine Bush High School social worker has rattled Orange County parents and put the district’s student-protection practices under a microscope. Crawford Police say Gina M. Modafferi, 39, of Wallkill, was arrested June 1 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after investigators alleged she kissed a 14-year-old student on multiple occasions and used marijuana with him over several months.

Police said the conduct stretched from Dec. 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. The student was assigned to Modafferi’s caseload, meaning the relationship began inside a professional setting that should have carried a heightened duty of care. Investigators also alleged she provided marijuana vape pens and marijuana, and smoked with the teen about 10 to 20 times. Police said there was no allegation of sexual intercourse in the case.

The district moved to distance itself from the former employee in a statement posted June 4. Superintendent Joseph Lenz said the district could not comment on specific details because of law, but said it had acted to maintain student safety and security. Lenz also said Pine Bush Central School District is developing an anti-fraternization policy and reviewing communications protocols. Modafferi resigned effective close of business on April 10, 2026.

The case lands in the center of New York’s child-protection law and the district’s own standards for staff conduct. Under New York Penal Law § 260.10, endangering the welfare of a child is a misdemeanor when a person knowingly acts in a way likely to injure the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child under 17. District policy also requires staff to maintain professional, ethical relationships with students at all times, including on and off campus, and says inappropriate fraternization is against district policy even if a student appeared willing.

That makes the allegations especially serious in a school setting where families expect clear boundaries and immediate intervention. Modafferi had described herself in a fundraiser as a school social worker who helped students with clothing and hygiene needs, a role that made her one of the adults parents would typically expect to be among the most trusted in the building. The allegations now raise hard questions about supervision, reporting, and what Pine Bush officials knew, or should have known, as the conduct allegedly unfolded.