Teacher sought to have school officials removed from their position after a posting on school district website.
BOUND BROOK -- A high school math teacher was unsuccessful in having school officials removed from their position after they posted a statement regarding his suspension for using a district-issued computer to send and receive naked photos and search for trysts.
Bound Brook High School teacher Glenn Ciripompa, who was suspended without pay in 2014 for 120 days, was reinstated to his position by an Appellate Division decision after school officials tried to fire him.
Upon his reinstatement, the district posted a statement online that it was required "to put back into the classroom a teaching staff member found guilty of utilizing his school district computer and school district email account to engage in conduct of a highly inappropriate nature, including sending and receiving nude photographs and soliciting sexual liaisons and services."
Ciripompa filed an order with the Commissioner of Education seeking to have the borough school officials responsible for the posting removed for their positions. He alleged the statement was "factually inaccurate, misleading and defamatory" and school officials engaged in "unbecoming" and "malicious" conduct in posting the statement.
The school board countered with a motion to dismiss the allegations on the grounds that Ciripompa alleged he had not violated district policies.
The Commissioner of Education ruled that any action against the school board members and school district officials should be brought before the School Ethics Commission and any claim for damages must be sought in Superior Court.
Fired teacher settles with school district
Dr. Daniel Gallagher, the school district superintendent, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The school district had sought tenure charges against Ciripompa for both the use of the computer and inappropriate conduct toward female staff members.
But an arbitrator reduced the penalty to the suspension, finding that Ciripompa's behavior toward the other staffers did not rise to termination level.
State records indicate that Ciripompa, who was hired in 2004, was making $63,875 a year. He earned tenure in 2007.
In the charges filed June 25, 2014, against Ciripompa, the school district said that it found more than 100 emails with pictures of nude women on the teacher's computer after a staff member emailed a link to a Twitter page with nude pictures of Ciripompa to a district administrator.
School officials determined that some of Ciripompa's inappropriate emails, including nude pictures of himself, were sent by Ciripompa during work hours, a violation of district policies.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.