Paterson teacher fired for not living in New Jersey sues school district

A longtime teacher, fired for not living in New Jersey, has filed a lawsuit against the Paterson Public Schools.

Barbara Blakeslee, an eighth grade teacher, filed the lawsuit earlier in the month. She alleges the school district terminated her employment before she could go through the process to obtain a waiver for the residency requirement.

New Jersey First Act requires most public employees to reside in the Garden State. Blakeslee had no knowledge of the law, according to the lawsuit.

Blakeslee had lived in New Jersey since birth. Her husband had to move to Pennsylvania to look after his ailing mother. She and her children later joined the husband and the ailing mother in Pennsylvania.

Blakeslee sought an exemption under the New Jersey First Act from the Employee Residency Review Committee. Her application was not placed in the July or August meeting agendas because of Covid-19.

She provided a copy of her exemption application to the Paterson school district in June. On June 22, the school district terminated her before she could get a hearing before the committee to potentially obtain an exemption to the residency requirement.

Blakeslee is asking the court to “restrain and enjoin the district from terminating her employment pending the decision of the committee.” She is also asking the court to order the district to reinstate her employment and continue to restrain the district until the committee renders a decision.

Blakeslee has taught in Paterson for 16 years. She was given the rating of “highly effective” in the last school year. She taught at School 8.

Email: [email protected]

John Brown

Better keep her most teachers won't be coming back this school year. Because of Covid 19
- HankMorgan
  
  This has always been the idiot Eileen Shafer’s method of operation. She prays for experienced, well compensated faculty members to abandon the district. Class numbers be damned. She immediately funnels the “savings” into her bonuses, salary and uses the rest to grease the palms of her cronies.
  She and the scum who work for her have blood on their hands.
bigron

Law is the law.
- HankMorgan
  
  She’s trying to follow the law using a set of standardized protocols. The system is slow due to the virus. This woman is exactly the type of teacher Paterson should pray for instead of simply dumping her by the wayside for an idiotic reason.
- Paterson Resident
  
  Are you an idiot?
- MarquinhoGaucho
  
  The waiver and the process is the law. The district should have waited on the state's decision
HankMorgan

Way to go Paterson Schools! Fire an eighteen-year, highly effective veteran for struggling to get some required paperwork in during the decidedly slow virus era. Keep crushing teachers like this and you won’t have anyone of any worth to hire.
- MarquinhoGaucho
  
  That's the whole idea. The BOE is in the Charter's pocket, they do the charters bidding, following the whole M.O of privatization. 1) Defund 2) Create a failing system 3) Parents get mad 4) Turn everything over to private capital. This is why Paterson cant attract good teachers, why so many good ones take jobs and other districts after a a few years and why 30% of positions have "permanent" subs.
Miss jamaica

She will get her job back are very good settlement.she is following the law. Get a good attorney, I don’t like when employer abuses their power.
I know several people that work here that live in PA, I know people that work here and use address here and don’t live here
This teacher is willing to commute from PA
to NJ to teach our kids and we fired her, because of a delay in processing of paperwork. The state was on lock down everything is slow .
Where is the teacher union
Where are the lawyers
Paterson Bd need to right this wrong.
- HankMorgan
  
  Well said.
John

Rules are rules. All frivolous lawsuits such as this one shouldn't be settles but instead should be countersued.
John

99.9% of the youth in Paterson are already loss cases. From the elected officials, to the household and to the schools. Paterson is every persons nightmare. If you live in Paterson then something is wrong with you. Many times the difference of rent is minimal, move out and let the animals kill eachother.
- Miss jamaica
  
  John I am sure where you are getting the number from I know many kids, I am product of Paterson Public school myself
  I am college educated, and my sons are , my husband as well I live we own our home.
  Again I know many kids that graduated from public schools here that have gone to do excellent work . I am not sure of your numbers , show me the data from where you are getting information.
  You are hearing about crimes in certain parts of Paterson.
  The suburbs have their issues as well, they may not have shooting but drugs are there.
  I know people that live in some of there Bergen county suburbs, Passaic County suburbs as well.
  I work in Morris county
  Do you remember the OD number for this county.
  The numbers are staggering.
- TK Kirkland
  
  Correction… 98.9%
Nummberonne

The NJ Court will entertain this frivolous lawsuit. Lawyers will get rich. The public sector employee will get rich. It's for the children.
- MarquinhoGaucho
  
  It's not frivolous she had every valid reason for the waiver and even applied for the paperwork. If the district really cared more about the children they would wait for the state's decision instead of trying to screw over a highly effective teacher who loved her job.The BOE is in the Charter's pocket, they do the charters bidding, following the whole M.O of privatization. 1) Defund 2) Create a failing system 3) Parents get mad 4) Turn everything over to private capital. This is why Paterson cant attract good teachers, why so many good ones take jobs and other districts after a a few years and why 30% of positions have "permanent" subs.
TK Kirkland

Driving back and forth to PA/NJ to serve a bunch of degenerate kids and parents? Can’t fix stupid…
MarquinhoGaucho

The "district" is doing the corrupt BOE's doing..The BOE is in the Charter's pocket, they do the charters bidding, following the whole M.O of privatization. 1) Defund 2) Create a failing system 3) Parents get mad 4) Turn everything over to private capital. This is why Paterson cant attract good teachers, why so many good ones take jobs and other districts after a a few years and why 30% of positions have "permanent" subs.