Schools

Former Belleville Principal Sues School Board

Gabriel Nazziola demands to be reinstated and seeks back pay and seniority.

Former School No. 5 principal Gabriel Nazziola, now a Belleville Middle School teacher, has brought a lawsuit against the school board, Northjersey.com reports. The suit demands that Nazziola be reinstated as principal and received back pay and seniority.

The suit is the latest event in Nazziola’s years-long battle with the district over his former principal job. When he was released from his post as principal after one year on the job in 2011, he claimed he was pressured to support the reelection campaign of incumbent board members, was asked for political reasons to cancel a fundraiser benefiting a cancer-stricken student and was ordered to recommend specific individuals for teaching jobs

Nazziola laid out his complaints at a 2011 Donaldson hearing, a proceeding where district staff can appeal decisions affecting their employment. Nazziola chose to open the hearing to the public, although he had the option to keep the hearing closed. A transcript of his statement is available online here, on the website of Ralph Vellon, a Belleville resident who has run unsuccessfully for the Board and brought legal action against the school district.

Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nazziola, 50, served during the 2010-11 school year as the fourth principal in as many years to hold the post. 

School officials, citing personnel confidentiality laws, never said why Nazziola was not reinstated. Parents protested the decisions in months of meetings and collected 200 signatures for a petition supporting Nazziola.

The State School Ethics Commission dismissed Nazziola’s ethics case against the school board in March, 2012, citing a lack of timeliness and compelling facts.

Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here