Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
It has been more than a year since former Pennsbury School District Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula left the school system, but the ghost of his tumultuous time has hung low over the district in the form of outstanding lawsuits.
In May, the district settled the federal lawsuit with former Fallsington Elementary School Principal Brian Shaffer for undisclosed terms. At last Thursday’s school board meeting, the lawsuit filed by former technology director Kevin Dorsey was settled for an undisclosed amount.
Credit: Pennsbury School District
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In September 2020, the district settled with former special education director Sherri Morett for undisclosed terms.
Credit: Pennsbury School District
The lawsuits, which were filed while Gretzula was at the helm with the school board, accused the district of civil rights violations. The lawsuits made allegations of retaliation, offensive behavior, and a fractured administration.
“From the beginning of my career with Pennsbury, I endured gender harassment, discrimination and retaliation, as well as an ongoing pattern of harassment and discrimination comprising a hostile work environment,” Dorsey wrote in his complaint.
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Shaffer claimed Gretzula promised to “clean house” and get rid of anyone who filed an EEOC complaint.
Shaffer said in a lawsuit that he was retaliated against and had to leave his position in the district after complaining.
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Shaffer claimed he was falsely accused of grabbing and screaming at a student. He said police cleared him of wrongdoing by the district was not looking to get the to bottom of what happened and just wanted to get rid of him due to his complaint.
Dorsey, Morett, and Shaffer all left the school district after filing U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints about problems within the district.
The federal lawsuits were filed after the EEOC complaints and followed exclusive LevittownNow.com reporting that exposed problems in the district, one of the largest in the county and state.
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Amid the lawsuits and interest in the district by law enforcement, Gretzula made the surprise announcement in 2020 that he would to retire by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. He cited that he had been dealing with non-life-threatening “personal medical issues since January.”
Gretzula recently returned to the workforce as an assistant principal at Franklin Towne Charter Elementary School in Philadelphia. He did not respond by Monday evening to a request for comment on the lawsuits being settled.
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The lawsuits against the district led to then-board member Debra Wachspress ending her high-profile 2020 run for Congress after it was alleged she used highly-offensive terms. Wachspress admitted to using one offensive term in recounting a story from her childhood 42-years ago and stated the other allegations were from what she termed “fraudulent” lawsuit filed by Morrett.
In the wake of reporting on Dorsey and Morett’s lawsuits, students held a protest outside the Falls Township high school in February 2020.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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After lawsuits were filed against the district, some school board members told community members privately the lawsuits were not accurate and the district would be fighting them.
In 2020, School Board President T.R. Kannan called Dorsey’s and Morett’s lawsuits were “meritless” and said he backed Gretzula.
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On Monday, Kannan seemed happy the lawsuits were settled.
“The board is glad that all lawsuits have been resolved and we can now focus on the students of our district. All costs were covered by our insurance carrier,” he said in a statement.
Following Gretzula’s time as superintendent, Pennsbury hired Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith to lead the district.
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