New Lawsuit Accuses Fort Lee Board of Education of Negligence and Concealment in Teacher Abuse Case
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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee NJ, a serious and widening scandal has hit the Fort Lee Board of Education and the school district. A third former student has filed a lawsuit, alleging the district failed in its fundamental duty to protect her from former teacher Howard Sidorsky during her time at Lewis F. Cole Middle School.
This latest suit joins an existing complaint filed in March 2024 by two other former female students who accused the district of ignoring complaints of inappropriate touching and sexual harassment by Sidorsky.
The Allegations: A Pattern of Predatory Conduct
The newest plaintiff alleges she was a 14-year-old eighth-grade student when Sidorsky, her math teacher, began a “course of sexual predator conduct” in 2017. The lawsuit details disturbing allegations:
- Inappropriate Comments: Sidorsky allegedly made comments that the student was “sexy” and “looked good,” both on school grounds and at the local community center.
- Sexual Assault & Harassment: The suit claims the conduct included sexual overtures, harassing comments, and inappropriate touching and contact “for his own sexual gratification.”
- Impaired Experiences: The plaintiff asserts that these traumatic events severely impaired her “educational and youthful experiences.”
District Accountability: Supported and Emboldened?
The lawsuit specifically targets the Fort Lee Board of Education and the school district, accusing them of failing to act on reports and allowing the abuse to continue.
Crucially, the suit argues that Sidorsky was “supported by and emboldened” by the “conduct and acquiescence of the administrative leadership.”
The previous two lawsuits had already accused the district of:
- Failing to report complaints to the police.
- Failing to notify the state’s Child Protection and Permanency Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit (IAIU).
- Failing to file proper Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) reports.
The Teacher’s Record and Official Findings
The credibility of the students’ claims is bolstered by prior official actions taken against Sidorsky:
- 2019 Conviction: In April 2019, Sidorsky was found guilty of harassment (“offensive touching”) in Fort Lee Municipal Court. The conviction was upheld on appeal.
- 2020 Revocation: His teaching certificate was officially revoked in December 2020.
- State Substantiation: An investigation by the IAIU of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency found that at least one student’s accusations were substantiated.
The current lawsuit seeks damages based on allegations of negligence, violation of the state Law Against Discrimination, violation of the New Jersey Child Sexual Abuse Act, and negligent/intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The district has not yet provided comment on the newest legal filing. Attorney Jeffrey Fritz encouraged anyone with additional information regarding the alleged harassment to contact him.
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