Plainview-Old Bethpage district sued over handling of Principal Karen Heitner misconduct allegations

Two female staffers who accused a Plainview-Old Bethpage elementary school principal of touching them inappropriately have sued the district, claiming top administrators downplayed the alleged behavior, conducted an improper investigation and failed to protect them.

The two women, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist, filed suit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Also named as a defendant was Pasadena Elementary School Principal Karen Heitner, who was suspended last year after misconduct allegations brought by eight employees, including the two women, came to light.

The district has accused Heitner of sexual harassment, age discrimination and creating a hostile and unsafe work environment and is seeking to fire her. Her disciplinary hearing is ongoing.

The district school board, schools Superintendent Mary O'Meara and assistant superintendent for human resources and safety Christopher Donarummo, who investigated the employees' allegations, were also named as defendants.

District spokesman Ron Edelson said in a statement Thursday that the district was "aware" of the suits.

"The district takes every allegation of misconduct seriously," Edelson said. "However, on the advice of counsel, and consistent with district policy, the district will not comment on ongoing litigation."

Heitner's attorney, Arthur Scheuermann of the School Administrators Association of New York State, declined to comment Thursday because he said he had not reviewed the complaints.

Tim Alamgir, a Huntington-based attorney representing the two women, said in an interview Thursday his clients want to send a message to the district that “this is not acceptable” and to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Neither woman reported the alleged touching to police. According to their lawsuits, they filed complaints with the district's human resources after the alleged incidents occurred at a PTA luncheon on school grounds in June 2024.

Newsday is not naming the two women as they are alleged victims of sexual abuse. One staffer has since left to work in another district.

Lawsuit claims

The two women testified in May during Heitner's disciplinary hearing that the principal grabbed their buttocks during the PTA luncheon and pushed forward, leaving them feeling angry and violated.

Heitner's attorneys have disputed the women’s characterization of the incidents. Scheuermann has called the physical contact an “innocent glance.”

In their suits, the women alleged they and other staffers voiced concerns about Heitner’s alleged misconduct to O'Meara in a meeting last September and the superintendent allegedly “admonished staff to ‘assume benevolence’ and refrain from ‘gossip and criticism.’ ”

The speech therapist further alleged O'Meara and Donarummo had “actual or constructive knowledge of Principal Heitner’s past misconduct and propensity for misconduct” but failed to prevent harm, according to her complaint.

The occupational therapist alleged “forced re-exposure to traumatic events” when she was “compelled to repeatedly view video” of her interactions with the principal at the luncheon, according to her complaint.

Under questioning in the disciplinary hearing in April, Donarummo testified he did not force the occupational therapist to watch the video but noted she was upset afterward.

In November, the two women filed notices of claim, a precursor to suing a school district. In them, the two each sought damages of about $10 million. In their latest legal filing, damages were not specified.

During the hearings, surveillance video from the luncheon was played multiple times, but the camera was set some distance away and Heitner’s exact hand movements were difficult to see with clarity.

Donarummo said he didn’t believe he saw the incidents unfold in the manner described in the notices of claim but his investigation concluded Heitner's alleged behavior violated the district's sexual harassment policy.

Legal bills

Heitner's attorneys have argued the allegations against her were made by disgruntled employees who did not want to be held accountable for their poor performance or resisted changes Heitner brought to the school.

Former Plainview-Old Bethpage schools superintendent Lorna Lewis, who testified in Heitner's defense in August, said her former subordinate was an “outstanding” educator but could be "harsh" with some staffers.

The latest lawsuits will add to the district's legal burden, as they continue to pursue the case against Heitner. From July 2024 through July 2025, the district has been billed more than $320,000 by Guercio & Guercio, the firm representing it in Heitner's disciplinary hearing, according to invoices Newsday obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request.