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Board ratifies settlement tied to a 2023 legal action; attorney reads plaintiff's statement
Summary
The board ratified a settlement related to a 2023 lawsuit involving the district and a former superintendent. Defense counsel read a statement acknowledging the plaintiff's description of events at a November 2022 meeting and noting the former superintendent is no longer employed by the district.
The Berkeley Heights Board of Education ratified a settlement in a legal action first filed in 2023 involving the district and the then-superintendent. Board counsel said the matter was handled by the district's insurer and defended by counsel appointed by the carrier. A representative from the insurer-appointed firm read a prepared statement saying the plaintiff's description of events at a November 2022 board meeting "was not erroneous as stated by then superintendent Varley," that a student had brought a box cutter to school (which district policy defines as a weapon), and that the plaintiff's description of threats and a flawed lockdown drill were accurate. The reading concluded by noting the former superintendent, Dr. Varley, is no longer employed by the Berkeley Heights School Board.
Board attorney counsel framed the settlement as the resolution of a covered insurance defense and deferred technical legal details to defense counsel. No further litigation details or dollar amounts were disclosed in the public meeting statement. The board approved the settlement as part of its finance addendum during the roll-call vote on finance resolutions.
