Suspended Principal Files Suit for Defamation

Dara Kurlander, the Avenel Street School principal who was suspended on charges of helping children cheat on standardized tests, has filed a lawsuit against the NJ's Department of Education's investigative unit and two of the anonymous sources who testified against her.

In the lawsuit, filed in Middlesex County, Kurlander's attorneys charge that the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance (OFAC) "falsely taint[ed] her reputation as an educator," according to a report in the Star-Ledger.

In addition to OFAC, Kurlander's attorney Lisa Krenkel is suing the Director of Investigations Thomas Martin and Director Robert Cicchino, and two anonymous sources who reported to OFAC Kurlander's alleged desk-tapping trick that alerted students to right and wrong answers on NJ ASK standardized tests.

Kurlander was suspended last August, along with three teachers and another principal, in a cheating scandals that rocked the district. The investigation is still continuing, and has since been extended to Woodbridge High School.

The scandal took down former Woodbridge School Superintendent John Crowe, who resigned from his position and is now employed in the district as a principal.

"Media will forever mention her name as someone who cheated on standardized testing ... rather than her substantial accomplishments as a dedicated educator," the Star-Ledger article quoted the lawsuit as alleging.

Kurlander "has dedicated her life to helping children, and will likely face difficulty obtaining employment in another field or entering into new ventures as a result of the false and defamatory statements," the lawsuit stated.

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