Schools
Belleville School District Faces 2 Lawsuits Alleging Harassment: Report
Four female supervisors claim that another administrator made sexual comments to them. Another staff member supported their allegations.
BELLEVILLE, NJ — Five administrators in the Belleville Public School District have filed two separate lawsuits involving claims of sexual harassment, retaliation and a “hostile work environment,” a report says.
The lawsuits were filed against the Belleville Board of Education, business administrator Matthew Paladino and former state monitor Thomas Egan, NorthJersey.com reported.
The first lawsuit accuses the business administrator of making inappropriate sexual comments to four female supervisors: Silvia Pastor, the supervisor of student health and wellness, Diana Kucko, the supervisor of response to intervention, Heather MacIntyre, the supervisor of elementary education, and Maria Calhoun, the principal at School 10.
Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The suit also accuses the board and Egan of failing to take any action to limit Paladino’s interactions with the women.
The second lawsuit – filed by Matthew Sullivan, director of safety and security and the vice president of the Association of Belleville School Administrators – claims that Sullivan was targeted for retaliation and harassed because he confirmed their allegations, North Jersey.com reported.
Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
TEACHER FILES LAWSUIT
The above lawsuits aren’t the only litigation that the board has been served with in the past few months.
In June, a Belleville school teacher sued the board of education over claims that a group of male staff members discriminated against her with “demeaning behavior, microaggression, intimidation and sexual remarks.”
Three district employees were also named in the suit. The staff member is seeking back and front pay and benefits, consequential damages, punitive damages, equitable relief, prejudgment interest, attorney fees and court costs.
>> Read More: Belleville Teacher Sues School Board Over Discrimination Claims
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
