NJ Teacher Fired After Reporting 'Pedophile Parties,' Lawsuit Says

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — A former Pinelands Regional High School educator is suing the district, claiming she faced retaliation for reporting staff for hosting "pedophile parties" and a paraprofessional's inappropriate relationship with a student.

Melissa Pomphrey, an educator for more than 20 years, began working in the district as a special education teacher in 2021, according to the lawsuit. Her class had six students with autism, ranging from 16 to 21-years-old. Each student had their own paraprofessional.

One of these paraprofessionals, Thomas Wyatt, had an "inappropriate relationship" with a high school student, the lawsuit said. The girl was under the age of 18 and a junior in the general education section, not special education, according to the lawsuit.

Wyatt would bring the girl to Pomphrey's class and to the special education elective classes, the lawsuit said. This concerned Pomphrey, according to the lawsuit, as one student was an 18-year-old autistic male who was sexually violent towards girls.

Pomphrey "was further concerned when she learned that Mr. Wyatt would frequently invite this underage student to hang out with him after school," according to the lawsuit.

That was compounded by Pinelands employees, including Wyatt, hosting "dress as your favorite pedophile parties," the lawsuit said.

Pomphrey reported Wyatt to the high school principal, but Wyatt was only reassigned to another classroom, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit claims he was never formally disciplined for his relationship with the student and remains employed by the district.

Months later, Pomphrey's class was eliminated, according to the lawsuit. Instead, she was reassigned to a middle school classroom, which the lawsuit claims is seen as a demotion in the district, and "each teacher assigned to this class consistently resigns."

This demotion and lack of additional support led to Pomphrey experiencing severe anxiety and depression, according to the lawsuit. She was placed on an unpaid disability leave and during this time, the district informed her that they would not be renewing her contract.

In a filing, the school district denied all of the allegations. The district told NJ.com in a statement that the lawsuit was "baseless."

A trial date has not been set.