Camillus woman accused of abuse was conditionally OKed by school board to work at West Genesee

Susan Orendorf

Susan Orendorf of Camillus was charged Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 with strangling, neglecting and abusing the 11-year-old boy.

Camillus, N.Y. — A Camillus woman accused of abusing her son was approved by the West Genesee Board of Education to work for the school district in 2021.

The woman, however, never ended up working in any schools in the district, West Genesee Central School District Superintendant David Bills said this week.

Susan Orendorf, 44, was conditionally appointed as a substitute teaching assistant during a board of education meeting in November 2021.

The conditional appointment was contingent on Orendorf completing the remaining requirements of the hiring process, Bills said. She did not complete the process, he said.

According to the school district’s website, a person with a conditional appointment is eligible to work for the district if their conditional status is disclosed to their immediate supervisor or the building principal.

It is very rare for a conditional employee to actively work for the district before they are fully cleared by the school district and the State Department of Education, Bills said.

The conditional appointment is often done so that once the hiring process is complete, the school district does not need to wait until the next school board meeting to approve the employee, Bills said.

When asked specifically why Orendorf did not complete the process, Bills said that she did not hand in the necessary paperwork in time for the deadlines set by the school district.

The district ended the hiring process and Orendorf was never in contact with any children in the district.

Bills said that they did not even have time to run a thorough background check because Orendorf failed to meet basic deadlines. Therefore, the hiring process was not halted because of any red flags in her history, he said.

This month, Orendorf was working as a teacher’s aide at the Holy Family School in Fairmount, said Danielle Cummings, a Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse spokesperson. Orendorf worked at the school for two days -- Sept. 7 and Sept. 8 -- before her employment ended.

Cummings would not comment on why Orendorf no longer worked for the school. Her first day of work coincided with her son’s first day of school at West Genesee Middle School when a school resource officer recognized the boy had lost significant weight.

After the school resources officer spoke to other teachers who had seen other signs of abuse, the student was brought to a school counselor, Camillus Police Chief Michael Schreyer said. The student began detailing aspects of the abuse he suffered over several years, which launched the investigation, he said.

On Sept. 20, Orendorf was arrested and charged with harming her 11-year-old son. Her charges include first-degree unlawful Imprisonment, second-degree strangulation and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

She was released from jail after posting a $40,000 bond. Her case will now be heard by a grand jury, a county prosecutor said. Orendorf could be indicted on more charges by the grand jury, she said.

Previous stories:

Camillus woman handcuffed boy to bed, strangled him and didn’t feed him for days, deputies say

Camillus woman charged with abusing 11-year-old boy released from jail on bond

Camillus boy was abused for 5 years; woman strangled him until he saw ‘dots,’ police say

11-year-old Camillus boy not fed, abused was taking food from classmates, police chief says

Abuse reports about Camillus boy made 10 months ago, but boy was left at home, day care director says

Case against Camillus mom accused of abusing son for years headed to grand jury

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.

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