The allegations against new HR supervisor Richard Dantinne Jr. came to light after he resigned from the Evesham Township School District.
The Gloucester Township Board of Education rescinded its employment offer to Richard Dantinne Jr. as human resources supervisor by a vote of 7 to 1.
Board members declined to comment on rescinding the job offer, citing personnel reasons. Dantinne was scheduled to start Feb. 1.
Allegations of sexual harassment against Dantinne came to light on Jan. 12 when Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown announced at a news conference that a female employee of the Evesham Township School District, where Dantinne last worked, spoke to him in person in mid-December, claiming Dantinne sexually harassed her and other district employees in 2015.
Brown said he gave a statement to the Evesham Township Police Department, and an official with the police later confirmed the department had conducted an investigation related to Brown’s claims, but it was closed with no criminal charges filed.
Dantinne resigned as ETSD personnel director on Dec. 15, days before Brown said he learned of the allegations against Dantinne and before Brown spoke to police.
However, at its meeting last week, the Evesham board voted to accept a request to rescind Dantinne’s resignation.
Dantinne’s lawyer, Matthew S. Wolf of Cherry Hill, filed a defamation lawsuit in federal district court in Camden this week, with the lawsuit claiming Brown had used Dantinne as a “pawn” in an ongoing dispute between Brown and Evesham Superintendent John Scavelli Jr.
The lawsuit names Brown, Evesham Township and Evesham Board of Education members Sandy Student, Nichole Stone and William McGoey as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Brown had an “axe to grind” against Scavelli, as Brown was unsuccessful in an attempt to pressure Scavelli into hiring Brown’s son for a job with the district.
The lawsuit claims the school district deemed an African-American candidate as more qualified for the position over Brown’s son, who is Caucasian, causing Brown to use a racial epithet when speaking to Scavelli about the new employee.
Brown said he was reluctant to comment on the allegations against him as he had yet to be served, but they appeared to be “maliciously false statements.”
Before the Gloucester Township BOE voted to rescind Dantinne’s job offer, two former members of the Evesham BOE spoke on behalf of Dantinne.
The two women said Brown is using Dantinne as a “political pawn,” and Brown has a “personal vendetta” against Scavelli. Brown has been a vocal opponent of the Evesham Township Board of Education’s decision to close Evans Elementary School, which Scavelli supports.
“The mayor doesn’t want the school to close in Evesham (Township), and what does that have to do with personnel director?” Rosemarie Bernardi asked. “He (Dantinne) just happens to be weakening; the mayor wants to weaken the superintendent’s stronghold by taking away his underarm, that would be Mr. Dantinne.”
Lisa Mansfield said she worked with Dantinne on numerous occasions during her time on the board, and he was one of the most professional administrators she had the opportunity to work with. She also said she heard nothing but positive feedback from teachers in the district.
“I have heard from countless teachers in the district, and they say he has been so helpful and kind and was a pleasure to work with him,” she said. “Our loss of a personnel director is your gain. Please do not let our mayor and our political issues cloud your judgment.”
