Belleville Teacher Sues School Board Over Discrimination Claims

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A Belleville school teacher is suing the board of education over claims that a group of male staff members discriminated against her with “demeaning behavior, microaggression, intimidation and sexual remarks.”

According to the civil lawsuit, Deana Arena has been employed with the Belleville Public School District for nearly 21 years. In addition to her teaching duties, she also serves as the vice president of the teacher’s union.

At one point, Arena expected to succeed the retiring union president – becoming the first woman to hold the position in the history of the district. However, the idea was rejected and “met with hostility,” the suit claims.

The lawsuit alleges that the discriminatory behavior began last year after she tried to blow the whistle on another staff member.

Arena said that she received several complaints about a male guidance counselor from female employees, who accused him of displaying “demeaning behavior” towards them. However, when she tried to report the complaints in her capacity as union vice president, Arena was accused of exaggerating the allegations and taking them out of context, the lawsuit states.

In September 2024, the staff member allegedly began to retaliate against Arena by placing students with potentially violent behavioral issues in her class, and refusing to speak with her about union issues.

When Arena demanded action, the behavior increased and other district staffers joined in, attempting to intimidate her at meetings and making sexual jokes and other derogatory remarks, the lawsuit claims.

After a confrontational meeting in October 2024 – during which she was allegedly “screamed” and yelled at – Arena filed a report with the Belleville Police Department. She alleges that two district employees then managed to access and alter the report using an internal police code.

The Belleville Police Internal Affairs Department investigated the circumstances surrounding the report. Eventually, the matter was referred to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the lawsuit states.

Arena also alleges that a high school teacher coerced a student into making a false complaint against her in October 2024 under the threat of him losing his baseball privileges. She reported the incident and filed a harassment, intimidating and bullying (HIB) report on behalf of the student.

The following month, she was accused of “stealing time” from the district over a dispute about her clock-in times during a meeting with several administrators.

The New Jersey Education Association submitted an unfair labor practices complaint on Arena’s behalf in November 2024. However, the retaliatory behavior continued, with Arena being required to do 10 minutes of daily secretarial work such as shredding papers and filing in the main office – duties that are not normally assigned to teachers and which were a “sexist attempt to purposely put [her] on display,” the lawsuit alleges.

Eventually, Arena began to have panic attacks before school. She went on medical leave on Jan. 30.

Arena filed a lawsuit against the Belleville Board of Education on June 23. Three district employees were also named in the suit. She is seeking back and front pay and benefits, consequential damages, punitive damages, equitable relief, prejudgment interest, attorney fees and court costs.

Read the civil complaint below, or view it online here.

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