By Monica Pryts
Herald Staff Writer
GREENVILLE, PITTSBURGH
October 26, 2009 09:52 pm
—
Two of Jon Ross’ former colleagues testified Monday about sexual harassment complaints they lodged against him that led to his firing.
Ross, 48, was fired April 20 by school directors for allegedly sexually harassing his co-workers at Hempfield Elementary School.
He appealed the decision, saying he was wrongfully fired in retaliation for bringing concerns to school administrators and board members while he was president of Greenville Education Association, the teachers’ union.
In the sixth day of testimony before the state Labor Relations Board, Pittsburgh, the school’s attorney, Diego Correa of Pittsburgh, began the district’s case before hearing officer Tom Leonard.
Leonard on Friday denied Correa’s request to dismiss Ross’ appeal. Ross’ attorney is Todd Park of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which works with GEA.
Deanna Grantham testified she’s in her eighth year teaching at Hempfield Elementary and had a professional relationship with Ross until 2007.
In December 2007, Ross commented about her clothing, making her uncomfortable. She wore jeans to school as part of a fundraiser where staff donates to a charity to dress casual.
Mrs. Grantham said Ross told her “I’d pay for you to wear jeans any day.” She let it go even though she felt it was inappropriate and disrespectful.
In February 2008, she delivered a list of students’ names to Ross at his request and he said she was very attractive, within earshot of his students.
“I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t know what to say,” she said, adding she left his classroom.
Ross said he lost the list the next day and she e-mailed it to him because she didn’t want to return to his room. Another teacher was concerned about her reaction, Mrs. Grantham said.
“I was shaking worse than I am right now,” she said.
She knew about Genna Rossi, a former teacher who filed a sexual harassment complaint against Ross in 2002, leading to a written reprimand, and didn’t want to be treated like her. Ms. Rossi told Mrs. Grantham she had a hard time working with Ross when she needed to after she complained about him.
On March 7, 2008, Mrs. Grantham and another teacher went to Ross’ room to pick up his students and she saw him scream at “Student X” who couldn’t solve a math problem.
Ross told the women “I hope one of you takes him. I don’t want him anymore,” Mrs. Grantham said.
She consoled the boy and told Principal Nancy Castor’s daughter, Emily Jackson, also a teacher, about the incident. Mrs. Grantham then spoke to Mrs. Castor, also talking about the inappropriate comments Ross previously made to her.
Mrs. Castor handed the issue over to Brian Bronson, East Elementary School principal, because her daughter was also involved.
Mrs. Grantham met with the school’s labor relations attorney, Charlie Steele, in early March, but wasn’t ready to move forward with pursuing any charges against Ross. She didn’t want to be retaliated against like Ms. Rossi, she said.
The problems with Ross continued and on March 26, 2008, Mrs. Grantham was making copies alone when he entered the room. She asked if he needed to get on, meaning the machine, and he said it depended on what she wanted him to get on.
“Wanting to get on me is just gross,” she said of how she interpreted the comment.
She remained professional in her work for the students’ sake and tried to keep her distance from Ross. While working with one of Ross’ students on a reading assessment test, he asked if she was in his room to flirt with him, which she’s never done.
That same day Ross startled Mrs. Grantham when he approached her from behind her desk and he said “I didn’t know a guy my age could get a girl’s heart racing that fast,” she said.
He also replied to an e-mail she sent to all teachers about assessment test results, saying she should give him a physical. She never took any of his comments as jokes, she said.
Mrs. Grantham said she never intended to attack Ross because of his union position, but she was afraid to file a complaint because his post as president intimidated her.
“It took me a long time to decide what to do,” she said of finally signing the complaint in fall 2008.
• In other testimony:
Mrs. Jackson testified about her encounters with Ross while she worked as a substitute from February to June 2008 and fall 2008 at a family center in the school.
On March 7, 2008, she went to his room to help with assessment test preparation and Ross spoke of going out the night before with a group of teachers. One of them got drunk and Ross suggestively said he’d never seen that side of her before, Mrs. Jackson said.
She tried to change the subject because the students were in the room. He told her she looked good in brown and commented on her engagement ring, saying her boyfriend must be “loaded.”
Mrs. Jackson said no, he takes care of her. When asked if she does anything for him, like cooking, she said she didn’t, to which Ross suggestively said, “You must be good at something else.”
He also said she could stay and flirt with him instead of working with his students. She was offended and reported his comments to Mrs. Grantham, her head teacher, and then to Mrs. Castor.
Mrs. Jackson also witnessed Ross yelling at Student X for getting some test answers wrong, which she also reported. Her complaints were eventually turned over to Steele with Mrs. Grantham’s.
When Mrs. Jackson worked for the family center, Ross often came to her office and made inappropriate comments in front of her new boss. He once bent down to look under her desk at her shoes and asked if she was “dolled up” to go on a “manhunt.”
“It was just creepy to me,” she said.
Steele testified he first met with Mrs. Grantham and Mrs. Jackson about Ross in March 2008 and said they were nervous and very uncomfortable about Ross’ behavior toward them, Mrs. Grantham more so because of Ms. Rossi.
He told them to think about the case and he’d meet with them again and keep the investigation open. Steele also notified Barbara Henning of PSEA about the complaints against Ross and he met with Mrs. Grantham and Mrs. Jackson again in June.
Steele presented the charges to the school board in October 2008, when Ross was suspended without pay. He denied telling the board Ross was in their sights and had a bulls-eye on his back, as several board members testified in Ross’ appeal.
“I don’t recall saying it. It’s a pretty colorful statement. I’d recall saying it,” Steele said.
He said he probably angered Superintendent Dr. Patricia M. Homer when he suggested the entire board meet with GEA representatives in spring 2008 at the union’s request.
The GEA contract says “meet and discuss” sessions must first go through administrators. Former high school principal Steve Ross said one of the reasons he resigned that summer was because he disagreed with Steele, Steele said.
Steele met with Ms. Rossi Aug. 11, 2008, and said the latest case against Ross wouldn’t have gone as far as the dismissal stage if retaliation against Ms. Rossi wasn’t mentioned.
Testimony continues at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
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