Superintendent Calls Student Protest ‘Hurtful,’ Board Members Comment On Lawsuits

Following two lawsuits from former Pennsbury School District administrators, some school board members and the superintendent fired back at claims of wrongdoing.

Earlier this week, Pennsbury’s former special education director Sherri Morett and technology director Kevin Dorsey accused the district of civil rights violations. The lawsuits make allegations of retaliation, offensive behavior, a fractured administration, and impacts to their health.

Morett’s lawsuit is against the district; Superintendent Dr. William 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)

Dorsey lawsuit is against the district and Gretzula. (Read Dorsey’s lawsuit)

In the wake of the lawsuits, students have walked out of the high school to protest the administration and Wachspress has ended her Democratic campaign for Congress.

Several school board members and Gretzula spoke up at the school board public meeting Thursday evening.

Board President T.R. Kannan told the public that he was “deeply disappointed” about the claims, adding that the district hired a third-party to investigate the allegations.

Kannan accused Dorsey of repeatedly distributing controlled substances to people around him and misusing his rights as a computer administrator.

Talking to reporters after the school board meeting, Kannan doubled down on the claims and said they were turned over to police.

A search of court records in Bucks County and across the state do not show any charges against Dorsey related to either of the claims.

Kannan said the district turned the claim of sharing drugs over to police and never heard more.

The district did not release public any documents or records backing up their statement.

Dorsey said the case won’t be litigated in the media and declined to comment.

“I do not see any of these issues,” Kannan said of the allegations made in the lawsuits.

Kannan also said the district made a decision not to settle the claims before the lawsuits were filed.

“Lies. This complaint is filed with utter lies,” Toy-Dragoni said, adding she denied involvement in a smear campaign against Morett.

Waldorf denied the allegations made against him.

“I look forward to the district defending this lawsuit aggressively,” he said. 

Gretzula said he “didn’t want to talk about the articles or the lawsuit.” He also stated the district “will prevail.” 

Gretzula then went on to defend the reputation of the school district.

Holding back tears, Gretzula said it was “really hurtful” and “painful” that the high school students walked out to protest the administration and him.

“I can’t even make a public comment tonight to defend myself,” he said, adding the allegations have confused his own son.

The superintendent boasted about the efforts under his leadership to promote equality and transgender rights.

“Please don’t read a headline from reporters who only want to make money and not pursue truth without integrity,” Gretzula told the public.

Since 2018, this news organization has given the district, school board, and Gretzula multiple attempts to comment. When the district has commented, LevittownNow.com has often published the entire statement.

Under his contract, Gretzula earns close to $200,000 and federal data from several years ago says the average journalist in the U.S. earns $43,640.

The board members also said they did not believe the allegations that Wachspress used offensive language.

Wachspress chose not to comment during the board meeting.

The board members who spoke stated they support Gretzula.

While it had been mentioned by board members and Gretzula that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints were dismissed by the federal agency, Kannan acknowledged after the meeting that Dorsey and Morett received a letter from the EEOC stating they can sue their former employer, which happened recently.

It appears that district board members and administrators who have said the allegations are dismissed are referring to the fact that the EEOC itself is not going to file litigation against the district. However, the EEOC did not dismiss the claims made by the two former administrators and issued letters several months ago giving them the green light to bring lawsuits against Pennsbury.

Unlike past meetings, there was not much public comment focused on supporting the board of Gretzula but one or two speakers mentioned the controversy. 

“Strong are those who sit before us tonight,” resident Tracy Curtis said.

Previous Reporting:

• Students Protest After Troubles In Pennsbury
• Debbie Wachspress Ends Campaign After Use Of Offensive Language Comes To Light
• Pennsbury School Board President Reacts To Lawsuits, Claims Of Misconduct
• Lawsuit Claims Congressional Candidate Used Offensive Terms In 2018
• Two Former Admins File Lawsuits Against Pennsbury, Claim Discrimination
• EXCLUSIVE: Pennsbury Prepares For Lawsuits Amid Allegations Of Retaliation
• Pennsbury Keeps Superintendent Until 2023
• EXCLUSIVE: Complaints Filed Over Comments, Actions Of Pennsbury Superintendent, Documents & Sources State

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