Edison Principal Says He Was Fired For Being Gay

EDISON, NJ — The former principal at Lincoln elementary school in Edison Township is now suing the school board, saying his contract wasn't renewed because he is gay.

Lincoln principal Timothy Hart filed the discrimination suit in June of this year, according to NJ.com. He has worked for the Edison school district since 2004 and Edison schools superintendent Dr. Richard O'Malley recommended him to be rehired. But on May 3, Hart said board member Theresa Ward convinced the rest of the board not to renew his contract.

Hart said Ward penned a letter to the administration calling him "a brazen hussy" who "should be removed before he does something really weird."

The letter was included in Hart's lawsuit, which was obtained by NJ.com and the last paragraph of which reads: "One term which kept coming to my mind while listening to our employees pour their hearts out is TH is a brazen hussy. Anyone with TH's proclivities doesn't belong in education. That is neither here nor there; however, he doesn't belong in Edison Township and certainly not in one of our elementary schools. He is a very strange person and should be removed before he does something really weird. Lincoln School deserves better. "

The Edison BOE denies any wrongdoing and Theresa Ward did not return calls for comment. However, Ward did say earlier this year she was looking into "issues" at Lincoln elementary and sent Hart a two-page letter after the May 3 vote, saying his contract was not renewed "because of complaints from staff about his management style where he allegedly failed to create a 'collaborative environment,' 'lack of empathy' for employees and the 'inability to communicate effectively.'"

Google screenshot of Lincoln elementary school on Brookville Road in Edison Twp.