Legal Question in Discrimination Law in New Jersey
Harassmant, Bullying and Retalilation in a public school
Hello, I work for a public schools MIS dept and employed by the board of education. Recently I have had trouble with a head evening custodian who works for a contracted company. He has repeatedly made false claims about interfering with his job to me. He has threatened to get me fired on a daily basis, he also has purposely followed me into areas and classrooms just to harass me and say that he is going to get me fired and annoy me to the point where I cannot do my job. He has also blocked an exit from where I usually leave for the day. I have recently filed a report with the EEO office and I have asked that he (the custodian) be either transferred or let go. However the EEO and this custodian have known each other for many years and the EEO officer has told me not to expect much. I have told them I feel threatened by this man, but nothing has yet to be done. I believe that they are stalling the process purposely. Any advice? I have another part to this story I will post.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Harassmant, Bullying and Retalilation in a public school
O.K.--thank you. I responded to "Part 2" before I was aware of this part.
Having now read the first part of your question, it is reasonably clear to me that your employer wants you to document your time to be able to demonstrate whether or not the custodian actually has physical ability to come into contact with you when he has been claiming. I.e. if the custodian should claim an incident, and your time sheets showed you were actually in the office at that time, the custodian will be revealed as a liar/fraud.
If the Equal Employment Opportunity officer is a personal friend of the custodian, then perhaps a conflict of interest exists and someone else should be assigned to investigate this particular matter. It is clear that you need to consult with an attorney immediately, however.
I strongly recommend that you consult with an attorney immediately so that you can explore your legal rights, obligations, and options. If you wish to discuss retaining my services, contact me at:
(973)-605-8995
[Disclaimer: The above comments are not intended as nor should they be relied upon as "legal advice", which can only be obtained by personal consultation with a retained attorney; at which time the specific facts and circumstances of your case can be thoroughly evaluated. This reply is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and does not create an attorney-client relationship with the responding attorney.]