Toms River Superintendent Under Investigation On Sexual Harassment Claim

TOMS RIVER, NJ — An employee of the Toms River Regional Schools has accused Superintendent David Healy of sexually harassing her over the course of the last year, and the matter is now under investigation.

Details of the claim are contained in a June 22 letter sent to the Toms River Regional Board of Education, asking the board to investigate the claim, in which the employee says Healy made remarks to her on repeated occasions praising her legs in a way that made her uncomfortable.

Steven R. Cohen, an attorney who represents the Toms River Education Association, the teachers' union in the district, sent the letter on behalf of the union, asking the board to investigate the claim.

Copies of the letter were mailed anonymously to several media outlets, including the Patch. The anonymous package also included the first page of the agenda for Wednesday night's Board of Education meeting — an agenda that was was not posted publicly until Tuesday. The employee's name was blacked out in the letter; on the agenda, an item under the executive session portion regarding a personnel RICE notice was circled.

Cohen, in a telephone interview, confirmed the matter was under investigation.

"This is very sensitive and something we would not comment on," Cohen said. He said he was distressed that the matter had been disclosed to the public before the investigation is completed.

"I don't think it's fair to the board or the union or the people involved," Cohen said.

Stephan R. Leone, the attorney for the Toms River Regional Board of Education, on Wednesday confirmed a report that retired Superior Court Judge Vincent R. Grasso was asked to conduct the investigation into the claim.

"Usually these investigations are done by the district's affirmative action officer," said Leone, of the firm Carluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle and Sacks, said, "but because it involved the superintendent, we took it outside the district." Grasso, who is a member of a member of the same law firm, has nearly completed the investigation, Leone said.

Healy, 55, was hired as superintendent in April 2014, with a five-year contract that expires in 2019. His hiring came as the district was trying to move forward from an insurance fraud and bribery scandal involving former superintendent Michael J. Ritacco, who pocketed more than $1 million in the scheme. Ritacco is in the fifth year of an 11-year federal prison sentence.

Healy had been the superintendent in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District prior to coming to Toms River. His base salary is $198,000 but he could earn up to $207,900 with incentives.

The letter details four specific instances where the woman says Healy commented on her legs and asked her whether she worked out. In one instance, the woman said Healy told her he was distracted by the attractiveness of her calves. In another, she said he suggested the woman and another district employee should have a "best legs" contest. Some of the comments were made in the presence of other men who work in the district, including the principal of the building where the woman works.

The woman said she found herself becoming increasingly uncomfortable with what she wore to work, going so far as to change outfits repeatedly, and was unable to sleep and suffering illnesses as a result of the distress.

"I feel like I want to hide and I cannot wait for the school year to end," she wrote. "I want the comments from Mr. Healy to stop and I want to be treated and respected like the professional I am."

Cohen's letter said the TREA demands the school board take action to eliminate the hostile work environment that it says exists because administrators who overheard the remarks did not speak out against them. The Patch is not publishing the letter because it contains information that identifies the woman who filed the complaint.

Healy did not answer requests for comment on the matter.

The Asbury Park Press reported said Healy's status is expected to be discussed in the executive session Wednesday night but Leone said he could not discuss anything related to executive session.

Toms River Schools Superintendent David Healy speaks at a press conference on proposed state aid cuts in June. Photo by Karen Wall, Patch Staff