Catholic School Principal Felt 'Betrayed' At Losing Job: Attorney

BALDWIN, NY — The attorney for a school principal suing his former employers says her client is unable to find work since he was placed on leave.

The suit stems from Timothy Gely defending a Black girl who faced racial bullying at her desk at St. Christopher School in Baldwin, attorney Susan Crumiller said.

"The worst things you can think of," Crumiller said of the incident.

Gely immediately went to each classroom to discuss the incident, to unequivocally condemn the racism, according to the lawsuit.

Gely, 47, told school officials that the behavior couldn't be tolerated, according to the suit. He also recalled his own experiences with being racially profiled as a Latino teenager, although he is not anti-police.

"Some of the white parents accused him of politicizing the situation, bringing race into it where it didn't exist," Crumiller told Patch. "They were very offended by the description of his experiences."

In addition to being put on leave as of June 14, 2021, Gely claims a signed job offer to work at another Catholic was rescinded.

"We would have hoped there would have been a little more sensitivity," said Crumiller, who added that she reached out to the second school. "They insisted that he had misrepresented facts about a prior incident. We tried very hard to nail them down on the details. They just weren't able to provide them."

The Diocese of Rockville Centre, which oversees both schools, was also named in the suit.

"The Diocese of Rockville Centre does not comment on matters in litigation," Sean Dolan, spokesperson for the diocese, said in a statement.

Gely was hired as St. Christopher's elementary school principal in August 2020. The school has closed in June 2021, and according to Crumiller, "apparently the Diocese of Rockville Centre actually filed for bankruptcy in October 2020."

Crumiller said her firm tried to settle with the school and diocese.

"We felt confident that we would have been able to settle with them," she said. "I hope that once we file they do an actual investigation and come to see that they really did screw up here."

Crumiller said the goal wasn't to litigate but to make things right for her client.

"It's been horrible for him," Crumiller said. "He really loved those kids. He's really a caring educator."

She said Gely was the only one who checked on the girl's welfare, even being concerned about her after losing his job.

"He felt devastated," she said. "He felt very betrayed."