By: Tracie Carter
A Morris County jury has awarded nearly $900,000 to a former middle school teacher who filed a lawsuit alleging age and disability discrimination against the Randolph Township Board of Education, according to an article produced by Advance Media / NJ.com.
The case involved Tracey Silverschotz, a tenured math teacher with close to two decades of service in the district.
NJ.com said court records indicate that Silverschotz, now 62, experienced significant hearing loss and was living with Type 2 diabetes at the time of the dispute.
According to the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of Morris County, Silverschotz requested reasonable workplace accommodations while teaching at Randolph Middle School, including reassignment to smaller class sizes.
The complaint alleges those requests were denied by district administrators.
The suit further claims that the smaller-class assignment was ultimately given to a younger educator and that the district failed to engage in a legally required interactive process regarding accommodations.
After raising concerns about discrimination, Silverschotz alleged she was subjected to heightened scrutiny, negative performance evaluations, corrective action plans, and disciplinary reprimands.
Silverschotz retired from the district in 2023, asserting that the work environment had become so intolerable that she was effectively forced to leave her position.
Her legal filings described the circumstances as a constructive discharge.
The jury found in favor of Silverschotz, concluding that the district violated provisions of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, including protections related to age, disability, and retaliation.
The verdict marks a significant outcome in a case that underscores the legal obligations public school districts face when addressing accommodation requests and discrimination complaints.