A Long Island principal is accused of groping two school employees at a PTA luncheon, sparking a heated disciplinary hearing that could see her ousted over claims she created a hostile, sexually charged work environment, according to a reports.
Karen Heitner, the principal of Pasadena Elementary School in Plainview, allegedly grabbed both women’s butts during a June 2023 PTA event — leaving them feeling “violated” and “angry,” they testified last week.
“I felt violated,” Stacey Ross, a former 17-year employee in the district, said on the stand at the hearing according to The Long Island Press.
If the allegations are upheld, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District will revoke her tenure and terminate her employment, according to the rules outlined in New York’s 3020-a disciplinary process for tenured educators, a disciplinary process that began for Heitner in April.
The hearings are administrative — not criminal — and are usually held privately, but Heitner chose to make hers public as she fights administrative charges that accuse her of sexual harassment, discrimination, and even pushing multiple women to retire.
An internal investigation already concluded Heitner’s alleged behavior violated the district’s sexual harassment policy, but the two women testified that they were subjected to more than just harassment — calling themselves victims of a sexual assault.
The alleged butt-grabbing incident occurred in front of an ice cream truck in the school courtyard, according Ross, who said Heitner walked up behind her and touched her.
Ross said she turned around in shock — and heard Heitner say, “I goosed you.”
That same staffer testified that she now suffers from anxiety and nightmares, eventually resigning from the district, giving up seniority, pay, and the school community she loved.
“I wanted to escape from this,” Ross testified Monday. “She ruined my plan to retire here.”
The second woman — a speech therapist who was nearby when the incident happened — said Heitner grabbed her butt as she leaned over to comfort her coworker, according to Newsday.
Both women have since filed notices of claim against the district, sharing their intent to sue after initially testifying they didn’t go to the police out of fear of retaliation, adding the school failed to protect them and allowed a toxic culture to fester.
“The district did absolutely nothing,” the speech therapist said. “She could do whatever she wanted, and there were no consequences.”
During district HR chief Christopher Donarummo’s initial investigation, he said eight staffers — including the two women — came forward to report additional inappropriate conduct by Heitner, including sexual innuendos and comments about their age.
Still, Heitner’s attorney, Edward Heilig, argues the accusations are “politically motivated” and claims the touching at the luncheon was an “innocent glance.”
He also alleged the investigation was incomplete and biased — and painted the two women as disgruntled employees angry over being held accountable.
But both women testified they had never been disciplined and had strong evaluations, with the occupational therapist claiming that Heitner herself once called her “professional and compassionate.”
Under cross-examination, Heilig tried to poke holes in their accounts — noting inconsistencies between the notices of claim and their sworn testimony. Heilig suggested the occupational therapist resigned to advance a false complaint.
“You are grasping at straws,” she fired back. “I resigned because I was abused by my principal.”
The speech therapist, who has worked in the district since 1998, also testified that Heitner once joked she “wasn’t the oldest person in the room” — though only the two of them were present.
She said Heitner also made a crude remark during a team-building game in 2023 while she was grieving her husband’s recent death.
“She made a sexual comment involving me,” the woman said. “It was degrading.”
The next hearing in Heitner’s disciplinary case is scheduled for Tuesday.
In a statement, the Plainview school district said it “stands firmly behind its decisions” to try and remove Heitner.
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