Washington Township school superintendent who was placed on leave files lawsuit against district

Washington Township school Superintendent Eric Hibbs has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging his suspension was in retaliation for raising questions about a district insurance contract.

The lawsuit contends Hibbs was unlawfully placed on administrative leave by the school board in March following his objections to “conduct that he believed to be both unlawful and unethical” by the board in awarding a contract in 2021, before he was hired by the district.

» READ MORE: Washington Township school board suspends its schools chief, effective immediately.

“It is utterly ridiculous, a transparent attempt to punish him in retaliation,” said his lawyer, Armen McOmber. “It’s just a very unfortunate decision the board made.”

The 35-page lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Superior Court in Gloucester County, names school board president Julie Kozempel, unnamed board members, and the district as defendants.

Kozempel said she had not seen the lawsuit but called the allegations ridiculous.

”Sometimes people deflect blame to divert from the real issues. This is not political,“ Kozempel said in a statement. ”I’ve noticed when I call people out and they want to switch the focus."

The lawsuit marks the latest development in an escalating dispute that has unfolded in recent months in one of South Jersey’s largest school systems.

The nine-member board has been at odds since it suspended Hibbs with pay on March 18. No reason has been publicly given for suspending Hibbs, who makes $215,000 per year.

The board has been unable to agree on whether to bring Hibbs back to his job or hire an interim superintendent. The stalemate has left employees in limbo amid possible job cuts as the district seeks to close a budget deficit.

A lawyer for Hibbs said the superintendent was contacted last week by a conflict law firm hired by the board to investigate a complaint alleging the superintendent provided preferential treatment to a family member of board member Carol Chila by changing a failing math grade in September 2023.

The complaint, filed by two union leaders, also alleged that Hibbs violated school procedures by admitting that student to the National Honor Society after her nomination had been rejected by faculty advisers.

Teacher Robert Scardino has since withdrawn his name from the ethics complaint, saying he was unable to provide evidence of any wrongdoing. A former vice president in the Washington Township Education Association, Scardino sent a text to Hibbs stating “I was made to sign under duress,” Hibbs’ lawsuit said.

McOmber said the ethics allegations against Hibbs were “ridiculous and absurd.” The conflict between Hibbs and some board members began in August 2024 after Hibbs began looking into a contract awarded to Insurance Consulting Service as its consultant for employee health benefits, he said.

Hibbs, who was hired as superintendent in 2023, began reviewing the contract after community members made Open Public Records Act requests seeking information about it. The contract was awarded prior to Hibbs’ tenure as schools chief.

According to the lawsuit, Hibbs contends the selection process was “procedurally flawed” and the contract was awarded to a vendor with the lowest-rated proposal.

Hibbs expressed concern to board members, the lawsuit says. He also reported his findings to the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the lawsuit said.

Rather than have his concerns addressed, Hibbs was then subjected “to a calculated campaign of targeted retaliation,” the lawsuit alleges. Hibbs filed a school ethics complaint against Kozempel, the board president, alleging misconduct.

In an April response to the New Jersey School Ethics Commission, Kozempel wrote that the complaint was “filed by a disgruntled superintendent” a week after she notified him that the board wanted to discuss his job performance, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks to have Hibbs reinstated as schools chief as well as punitive and compensatory damages and reimbursement of legal fees. His four-year contract runs through 2027.

“He should be allowed to return to do his job he was hired to do,” McOmber said “He is a very fine educator.”

Hibbs previously worked in the Marlboro and Mount Holly school systems.

» READ MORE: Washington Township councilman accused of sending harassing letters to school board members

In another development Wednesday, the Washington Township Police Department has filed charges against Councilman Richard Bennett, accused of sending harassing letters to school board members.

Bennett surrendered voluntarily to police and was charged with two counts each of harassment and forgery, Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik said. He was processed and released pending a court hearing, he said.

Board members Patricia Blome and Connie Baker, along with Kozempel, last week filed citizen criminal complaints against Bennett. The matter has now been taken over by the police department.

Bennett is accused of sending unsigned letters to Blome and Baker that had Kozempel’s return address, which raised their suspicions.

Police tracked the letters to a Sewell post office and retrieved surveillance video that showed Bennett purchasing postage and mailing the letters, police said.

Both letters, obtained by The Inquirer, used similar insults, calling the recipients evil, stupid, and dishonest, and accusing them of “playing games with superintendent job.”

State Sen. Paul Moriarty (D., Gloucester) called Wednesday for Bennett to resign. Moriarty, who lives in Washington Township, said he also received a disturbing letter from Bennett in 2020 and asked police to speak with Bennett.

“Hopefully, he does the right thing,” Moriarty said. “He’s an embarrassment to our town.”

Read Hibbs’ lawsuit complaint: