NJ Education Report

Back during the Christie Administration, Parsippany-Troy Hills Superintendent Leroy Seitz was in the news for making $225,064 a year to run a 6,000 student district. Now’s he back in the news because he’s being sued by his former assistant  Marie Deane, who says during his tenure as superintendent of Holmdel Public Schools he made jokes about pedophiles and lap dances. When she reported him to the School Board, they retailated by forcing her to take a less prestigious job at Holmdel High School, which deprived her of a salary increase. In the lawsuit Deane is demanding reinstatement in her previous job, back pay and benefits.

NJ Education Report first reported on this in March. Advance Media has access to the court documents and provided more detail this afternoon. Deane is suing under NJ’s Law Against Discrimination for sexual harassment, retaliation, and a hostile work environment.

• Seitz said that when a woman hairstylist cut his hair, he had “a good view when she was leaning over (and) it would have been great to have a lap dance.”
• When a school nurse had to put cream on the genital area of a child, Seitz said, “we’ve got to have several pedophiles on staff that would volunteer to put Desitin on the child, ha ha. I want to see the job description for this, ha ha.’”
• “Seitz locked Deane out of her accounts and gained access to a document in Google Drive where Deane detailed her boss’s alleged conduct.”

When asked for comment, new superintendent Scott Cascon said in an email, “I can say that Ms. Deane is a valued district employee, The district will continue to address any employee complaints in a timely and fair manner.” The reporter tried to reach Seitz for comment but his phone was disconnected.

Ironically, the South Orange-Maplewood School Board hired Seitz in 2016 to investigate Columbia High School baseball coach Joe Fischetti following claims of alleged harassment.

(Photo courtesy of the Village Green.)