Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The president of the Pennsbury School Board reacted Wednesday afternoon after two former administrators filed lawsuits against the district.
The district statement from Board President T.R. Kannan said that the claims made by former administrators Kevin Dorsey and Sherri Morett were “meritless.” They also said the “Board stands in support of (Superintendent) Dr. William Gretzula,” who has serious allegations made against him in both lawsuits.
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“I am sorry to see people’s names being dragged into a baseless legal battle which takes our focus away from running the district,” Kannan said.
Morett is suing the district; Gretzula; Chester County educator Dr. Joseph O’Brien, who conducted an internal investigation at Pennsbury; former Assistant Superintendent Donna Dunar; school board members Joshua Waldorf, Debra Wachspress, and Christine Toy-Dragoni; and district parent Annette Dearolf. (Read Morett’s lawsuit)
The lawsuit filed by Dorsey is against the district and Gretzula. (Read Dorsey’s lawsuit)
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Below is Kannan’s full statement:
Recently, two former employees of the Pennsbury School District have filed lawsuits against the District, members of its Administration, and certain School Directors.
Both of those employees, Kevin Dorsey and Cheryl Morett, had already filed a series of harassment charges with the EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.) The School District fully co-operated with the EEOC’s investigation, including hosting an EEOC investigator for onsite interviews and providing the EEOC with additional documents as requested. After this investigation, the EEOC dismissed all the charges brought by Mr. Dorsey and Ms. Morett.
Mr. Dorsey now appears to have simply attached a copy of these dismissed charges to a federal lawsuit. Ms. Morett, on the other hand, seems to have made a series of new allegations she failed to raise with the EEOC. In both cases, the District will vigorously defend itself from these meritless claims.
I proudly serve on the School Board and have witnessed my colleagues, administration and staff focus relentlessly on the betterment of our children and the community. I am sorry to see people’s names being dragged into a baseless legal battle which takes our focus away from running the district.
The Board stands in support of Dr. William Gretzula, who has led the Pennsbury School District with openness and integrity since 2016. Dr. Gretzula is incredibly engaged with our community, while keeping a sharp eye on District programs and expenses with a view towards continual improvement. I have never seen anything like the well-deserved community outpouring of support for Dr. Gretzula when the Board renewed his contract in 2018, and the Board will not stand for Dr. Gretzula’s good name being tarnished by lawsuits based on dismissed claims.
Any claim that any District program or procedure harassed any District employee has no basis in truth. As Mr. Dorsey himself acknowledges in his complaint, he resigned from the District only after the Board approved the issuance of a statement of charges against him with significant allegations. Ms. Morett resigned to take a new position with the Pottstown School District, and the District provided her with extended paid leave to aid in her transition.
The District will not comment further on this litigation, but will be responding to both Mr. Dorsey’s and Ms. Morett’s complaints in court filings in the near future.
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