A lawsuit that resurfaced this week alleges that several teachers and support staff in the Pinelands Regional School District threw and attended a series of shockingly inappropriate parties. According to the complaint filed in Ocean County by a former district employee, the group organized more than one “dress as your ‘favorite pedophile’” gathering in August 2023, with a paraprofessional taking a leading role.
The suit does not detail the parties’ exact activities, but the theme alone led the former special‑education teacher, Melissa Pomphrey, to claim that the paraprofessional, who has a pedophilic disposition, regularly invited an underage student over for after‑school visits. She also alleged that he put a female junior at risk by introducing her to an 18‑year‑old autistic male in a special‑needs classroom who could become sexually aggressive toward women.
Pomphrey reported the events and the alleged relationship to school officials. The district’s response, according to the lawsuit, was a flat‑out investigation that was, at best, a sham. They demoted her from a high‑school classroom to a middle‑school one, an action the plaintiff says was retaliation for her complaints. Pomphrey’s claim that the reassignment was “pure retaliation” was followed by a severe decline in her mental health: she suffered from anxiety, depression, nausea, and vomiting throughout the summer of 2024, and was eventually placed on an unpaid disability leave.
During that leave she was told her employment would not be renewed, a move the lawsuit contends was discrimination tied to her medical condition and retaliation for raising concerns. Pomphrey seeks reinstatement, back pay, litigation costs, and mandatory training for district staff on discrimination and retaliation. The action lists the school district itself, the high‑school principal Troy Henderson, Director of Special Services Marisa Elwood, and special‑education teacher Scott Beaton as defendants.
Neither the district nor its attorneys, including Pomphrey’s counsel Matthew A. Luber, responded to The Post’s request for comment. The district has previously dismissed her claims as “baseless,” refusing to engage in a public response. A trial date has yet to be set.
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