Security Officer Fired After Sharing High School Safety Issue In NJ: Lawsuit

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — A former Ramapo High School security officer is seeking damages in a wrongful-termination lawsuit that targets the school's principal and security director, and the school district, for retaliating against him "speaking truthfully" to a parent about a security concern.

The suit, filed June 28 in the Superior Court of Bergen County, stems from an incident that occurred on June 7, when Principal Travis Smith informed William Kirsch, who was employed in the position for three years, that his contract would not be renewed, because the school was "going in a different direction," Kirsch alleged in the suit.

The discharge came two weeks after Kirsch, while he was on duty, had, the suit alleges, spoke "truthfully' with a parent about the front doors of the school being unlocked, and then agreed with her that the unlocked doors were "not safe." Kirsch, of Ramsey, said he was denied renewal as retaliation "for reporting and not concealing a set of circumstances," which are contrary to state regulations, state policy and the policies of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District Board of Education.

He alleges, in the suit, that "for some weeks" prior to June 7, the door was broken and could not be locked, and that he was told by school district Security Coordinator Charlie Wolff, on June 7, that he "should have lied" about the door and there were "things parents didn't need to know."

Kirsch then spoke with school Vice Principal Claudia Dargento, the suit alleges, about the door and the interaction with Wolff, and still, the school "said nothing" and "hid this very serious issue and breach of security" from the public. Dargento then, Kirsch alleged, told Kirsch not to "put anything in writing."

The door security was a concern, Kirsch said, particularly in the wake of a Texas elementary school shooting in June that killed 19 children and two adults.

Kirsch, in the lawsuit, claimed wrongful discharge in violation of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act and the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, and demanded a jury trial for compensatory and punitive damages. He also alleges that he was never given a "Rice Notice," as required by the Open Public Meetings Act, notifying him him of discussion at a school board meeting about his non-renewal for the 2022-23 school year, and that he was denied due process.

Patch has reached out to the school and school district for comment.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the suit alleged Kirsch spoke with Superintendent Rui Dionisio about the door and interaction with Wolff, and told Kirsch not to "put anything in writing." This has been updated.