Mazzoni Center reportedly fired its Senior Health and Sexuality Educator for violating its harassment policy, contributing to a hostile work environment and “flagrant or repeated insubordination.”
Nefertari Sloan, who began working at Mazzoni Center in 2016 and provided sex education to high-school students, was fired on Thursday “based on a number of complaints regarding the violation of conduct,” according to the termination letter, which was signed by Patricia Dunne, the center’s human resources director. The letter stated that a final explanation of benefits would be mailed to Sloan.
The move follows a series of social-media postings on Sloan’s personal Facebook page since the announcement of CEO Lydia Gonzalez-Sciarrino’s resignation earlier this week. In one public post on Monday, Sloan wrote: “This is what happens when you cross me. HAPPY MONDAY BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #WEWILLNOTLGBTQUIET” over a shared article of PGN’s coverage of the CEO’s resignation. A commenter questioned whether Sloan should be congratulated, to which she replied: “Congratulations is absolutely the word. THANK YOU … IM [sic] SO HAPPYYYY.” In another, Sloan shared a second article written about Gonzalez Sciarrino resigning with the hashtags “WeWillNotLGBTQuiet” and “#Bih,” internet slang for “bitch.”
As she left the building on Thursday, witnesses told PGN Sloan shouted out: “I got fired by y’all — tell your friends.”
Shortly thereafter, she wrote on her Facebook page, “They went and fired me for no reason get ready to raise hell everybody.” She posted the termination letter as well.
In August, Sloan commandeered the microphone at an all-staff meeting to ask employees to “raise your hands if you feel valued by this organization.” Sloan refused to stop reading from a prepared statement, with Gonzalez Sciarrino then ordering the staff members to “disperse” and reportedly turning down the microphone.
In an interview with PGN at the time, Sloan defended disrupting the Aug. 16 staff meeting.
“I’m disappointed at the results that my actions have yielded. I was within my rights to speak and the saddest thing for me is that, had I not been interrupted, this would have never happened,” said Sloan.
Some employees who were at the August meeting said Sloan’s comments fueled feelings of an out-of-control workplace.
When asked to confirm Sloan’s termination, Mazzoni Center Communications Director Larry Benjamin said, “It is Mazzoni Center policy not to disclose specific information or details about personnel matters.” Benjamin also declined to comment on the authenticity of the termination letter that Sloan posted.
Sloan’s bio is no longer on Mazzoni Center’s website.
Sloan responded for a request for comment by saying in part: “I’m really confused why you keep contacting me asking for comments for the same media platform that is including screenshots of my facebook as ammunition to support my wrongful termination. Please don’t contact me again.”