The supervisor of curriculum and instruction at the Stafford Township School District (STSD) filed a sexual harassment retaliation lawsuit against the school system’s superintendent on Dec. 12. In her filing, she alleges that her boss repeatedly sent her text messages requesting her to come and visit him at a bar in Manahawkin in the middle of the night.
According to court documents, the plaintiff first notified her supervisor of her impending divorce in May of 2018. She details how her boss became more interested in her following that.
The plaintiff says that her boss called and texted her for non-job-related reasons early one morning in June 2018. She detailed how she received a call from him moments after he sent her several unintelligible texts. It’s then that her boss allegedly pleaded with her to come to the bar where he was.
In the court filing, the woman detailed how she reportedly went to her boss’ office the Monday following the incident to let him know that his advances were unwanted. It wasn’t long after she did that she says her supervisor began retaliating against her.
According to the suit, her boss first started by taking away tasks typically assigned to her. He then proceeded to remove her committee assignments and later suggested that she be fired at school board meetings. He also reportedly began discriminating against her when he found out that she was pregnant once again.
The plaintiff’s boss allegedly requested to see proof that she was married soon after announcing her pregnancy. This wasn’t something that was typically asked of district employees.
He then promoted someone else to the director of curriculum and instruction role that the plaintiff says she had originally been promised while she was out on maternity leave.
The plaintiff is still employed with STSD. She has requested unspecified damages for the treatment that she endured. The school district has refused to comment on the matter as the case is currently pending litigation.
Both sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination are prohibited by both New Jersey and federal law. Individuals who believe that they’ve been unlawfully or unfairly treated on the job should seek legal guidance.
