TAINTED ED. HIRE
New Bx. supt. quit last job over sex harass cases
A new Bronx superintendent left his former post as head of the Newburgh school system after independent investigators found he sexually harassed female subordinates, according to court documents.
Roberto Padilla was accused of making inappropriate comments and advances toward two Newburgh educators during a work trip to California, according to a May lawsuit the women filed in state Supreme Court in Orange County.
Padilla just landed a job heading up the South Bronx’s District 7, as part of Schools Chancellor David Banks’ rehiring of the city’s 45 superintendent positions in a leadership shakeup.
An independent investigator appointed by the Orange County district to look into one of the women’s’ complaints found that Padilla “sexually harassed” her “in violation of the New York State human rights law,” according to court documents.
Padilla, who has denied the allegations, resigned from Newburgh schools in December after the district agreed to continue paying his salary for two years or until he got another job, and cover his legal costs.
Una Miller, a former principal, and Elizabeth Walsh, a former teacher, claimed the harassment took place at an education technology conference in San Diego last August.
Padilla convened a group meeting at a bar, and was already drunk when he sat down next to Walsh, put his arm around her, rubbed his knee against her, and began talking suggestively about a couple sitting across the bar, speculating that the man was going to “get lucky,” according to the suit.
Later that night, Padilla grabbed Miller by the wrist as she walked by him, pulling her so close that they were touching and prompting Miller to “audibly exclaim to herself ‘what the f--- is going on!?’,” the lawsuit details.
At one point after midnight, Padilla allegedly traced his fingers along Walsh’s lower back tattoo depicting a bird, “commenting on the bird’s ‘big red ass,’ ” the suit claims.
Walsh was “horrified” and noted “the bottom of the bird” in her tattoo “was not visible, and the bird is dark grey, not red,” leading Walsh, who was wearing a red dress, to believe “his comment was referring to her body,” the lawsuit continued.
Both women separately filed complaints with the district, and Newburgh officials appointed independent investigators to look into both claims.
Louis Patack, the investigator assigned to Miller’s case, notified her lawyer that he determined Padilla had violated state sexual harassment law, though he found Padilla did not violate the federal sexual harassment law Title IX, according to court documents.
Walsh’s investigator, Melinda Gordon, found that Padilla appeared to violate federal Title IX law, according to Newburgh School Board member Darren Stridiron, who read a snippet of the probe report during a public meeting in December.
“We are shocked that the New York City public schools, Chancellor Banks and Mayor Adams are putting their trust in Roberto Padilla after his conduct that compelled us to file a lawsuit against him,” Miller and Walsh said in a statement. “We previously trusted Padilla, and our careers were derailed because of it. The students, families and educators of the Bronx and District 7 deserve better than Padilla, who we saw firsthand create a culture of fear and intimidation. We advise the city to reevaluate this important decision.”
Padilla’s is the latest controversial high-profile education appointment for the Adams administration. In March, the Daily News revealed that one of Adams’ picks for an education oversight panel previously made anti-gay comments, prompting the administration to ask for her resignation.
Education Department spokesman Nathaniel Styer said, “Every claim of harassment should be thoroughly heard and investigated. These claims were investigated, and Dr. Padilla directly addressed them with the community during the hiring process. As the 2021 New York State superintendent of the year, we believe that Dr. Padilla has the track record of success and after community feedback he will best serve the students and families of the Bronx. We believe that he has the best experience and is well situated to responsibly lead District 7.”
Alex Berke, the lawyer representing Miller and Walsh in their lawsuit, countered, “Yes, the claims were investigated. There are two investigation reports, which have not been disclosed but demonstrate that he violated the law.”
Padilla, 45, couldn’t be reached for comment.
In announcing Padilla’s resignation last December, Newburgh district officials said, “It’s undisputed that the allegations would not have constituted the elements of any crime.” Newburgh officials added that the two investigations reached “inconsistent conclusions about the import of what occurred” and “several witnesses” interviewed said “no wrongdoing occurred.”