Weston School Board Denies Grievance From Longtime Custodian

The Weston Board of Education on Nov. 4, 2025, voted unanimously to deny a grievance filed by custodian Thomas Seminaro and AFSCME Council 4 challenging his October termination.

Seminaro, a 22-year Weston Public Schools employee, spoke at the virtual evidentiary hearing about a workplace injury he said he suffered while coming home from work after shoveling. He described multiple surgeries, ongoing physical therapy and medical restrictions that, he said, left him “still being treated by a doctor” and not at maximum medical improvement. “I haven’t reached my maximum medical improvement yet,” Seminaro told the board.

The union argued Seminaro sought time to complete treatment and was willing to perform light-duty tasks; union representative Rob Montori said the member had an accepted workers’ compensation claim and disputed characterizations that Seminaro had requested indefinite leave. “He said he was willing to do light duty and no one would accommodate him to this point,” Montori said.

Superintendent Erica Forte presented the district’s timeline and rationale. Forte said Seminaro sustained a work-related injury on Jan. 7, 2024; his contractual workers’ compensation supplement expired June 30, 2024; and the district granted more than one additional year of unpaid leave beyond contractual and statutory requirements. An independent medical examination on May 6, 2025, found Seminaro medically unable to perform custodial duties and provided no return-to-work date, Forte said. The district, she said, held an ADA interactive meeting on Aug. 5, 2025, and concluded that an indefinite unpaid leave was not a reasonable accommodation; his employment was terminated Oct. 3, 2025.

District staff also explained eligibility issues for federal family and medical leave. Julie Gavoni told the board that eligibility requires 1,250 hours worked in the prior 12 months; because the district’s rolling lookback showed Seminaro had only worked about six months in that window, he did not meet FMLA eligibility, the administration said.

Board members asked detailed questions about diagnoses, recent procedures and whether doctors had provided a medical release. Seminaro said he had a metal plate in his neck, had undergone rotator cuff and labrum repairs and a recent epidural for a herniated disc, and that he remained in physical therapy. He said he had been described as temporarily totally disabled by his treating physicians but hoped to complete rehabilitation and return to work.

After closing remarks from both parties, the board recessed into a nonmeeting for deliberations with invited district staff and counsel. On reconvening, Nicole Wallach moved to deny the grievance and directed Deborah Lowe to confirm the board’s decision in writing to Seminaro and the union on or before Dec. 26, 2025. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The board’s action was procedural: it upheld the administration’s determination that, after extended leave and an IME showing no return date, no reasonable accommodation would enable Seminaro to perform essential custodial duties without creating an indefinite vacancy that the district said it could not sustain. The board recognized his 22 years of service and the difficulty of the situation but determined the district had complied with contractual and statutory requirements.

The board adjourned following the vote. The district will provide written notice of the decision to Seminaro and to AFSCME Council 4 by the date specified in the motion.