Lori Burns, a former school official at the Manchester Township School District in New Jersey, has filed suit against the district, claiming she was pressured to resign after advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
Burns’ lawsuit is the third LGBTQ-related antibias lawsuit filed against the district this year.
Burns served as director of childhood development for the district and helped ensure that school curriculums addressed LGBTQ+ issues in an appropriate manner.
She alleges that she was pressured to resign her position due to hostility for her advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ rights.
Her lawsuit was filed Oct. 28 in New Jersey Superior Court, Ocean County Division. She’s suing the district’s Board of Education and various officials.
According to her biography posted online, Burns has conducted extensive research on the impact of school climate on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) public school teachers in New Jersey.
“In response to the dangerous conditions for LGBTQ+ educators, Dr. Burns partnered with Garden State Equality in creating the Educators for Equality program,” according to her biography. “Educators for Equality is comprised of LGBTQ+ educators and allies who advocate for inclusive schools through LGBTQ+ specific policies, programs, best practices, professional development, and inclusive curriculum.”
Burns’ biography adds: “Dr. Burns’ academic work in the area of LGBTQ+ topics in schools include scholarly articles and presentations regarding LGBTQ+ competency and best practices. Burns received her Bachelor of Science and teaching certification from Montclair State University, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Georgian Court University, and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Saint Peter’s University.”
“Dr. Burns identifies as a lesbian and is passionate about the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility in schools,” her online biography concludes.
Burns worked at the school district from November 2022 to June 2024.
Burns claims her passion for LGBTQ+ issues caused her to be mistreated within the district. The alleged mistreatment included: complaints about LGBTQ stickers on her car; being subjected to derogatory and transphobic comments; being isolated among her peers; receiving unfair evaluations; being excluded from an important staff meeting; and being penalized for supporting John Berenato, a former superintendent in the district who is gay.
Berenato was fired in November 2023 and is suing the district for wrongful termination.
Additionally, Burns claims she was wrongfully denied $39,910 in sick-leave pay that she accumulated at a prior school district and that was supposed to be transferred to her when she began working for Manchester Township.
Burns also claims she was criticized by her superintendent for her support of an LGBTQ+ ally, Bridget Antonucci. For example, when Antonucci suffered a concussion on the job, Burns rode in the ambulance with her to a hospital. But she was later faulted by the superintendent for not calling the police, who allegedly would have arrived sooner than an ambulance, according to the lawsuit.
Antonucci is suing the school district for wrongful discharge. She claims she was mistreated because she’s an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
On Dec. 21, 2023, Burns’ supervisor hinted that Burns would be demoted from a director to a supervisor, according to Burns’ lawsuit.
On January 16, 2024, the supervisor called Burns at home on her personal cell phone about a school issue and asked Burns why she didn’t answer her phone immediately. Burns explained that she was putting her daughter to bed, according to Burns’ lawsuit.
Later that day, the supervisor allegedly berated Burns for her job performance — with colleagues present. Burns concluded that the supervisor was “attempting to document poor performance and to demean her in front of her staff,” according to Burns’ lawsuit.
Shortly thereafter, Burns tendered her resignation.
“As a result of Defendants’ harsh, hostile and exclusionary treatment of [Burns] on the basis of her sexual orientation, [Burns] was subjected to a hostile work environment [that] led to [Burns’] constructive discharge. Defendants’ ongoing maintenance of a hostile work environment, to the point where Defendants had virtually excluded [Burns] from the District’s administrative staff, had rendered [Burns’] employment with the District so intolerable that [Burns] resigned her position on May 1, 2024 effective June 30, 2024,” according to Burns’ lawsuit.
Burns is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorneys’ fees and costs. A jury trial has been requested.
Neither side had any comment for this story.