A November 23 ruling by the Office of Administrative Law will grant the WW-P school district the legal authority to fire former high school north computer teacher Mary Lou Forsell, right, currently suspended without pay. Forsell is accused of calling a special education student a “sick freak” and allowing students to view a “wall of shame” in her classroom, decorated with more than 100 nude or sexually explicit, offensive photos, some of which featured Photoshopped images of students. Other images contained racially offensive material.
The judge’s decision also recommended the removal of tenure protection for Forsell. Now 54, Forsell was hired by WW-P in 2001 and received tenure in 2004. She had previously been tenured in the Montgomery school district. Tenure removal cases are rare. WW-P Board of Education President Hemant Marathe said it is the first one he has seen in his 10 years on the board.
Forsell, contacted at her West Windsor home on Friday, December 9, said she would only make public comments regarding the case through her attorney — Michael T. Barrett of the firm Bergman and Barrett in Skillman. Barrett filed an objection to the judge’s decision on Tuesday, December 6. His office reported that he was unavailable during the rest of the week and he did not return several telephone calls.
The initial decision must be upheld, rejected or amended by acting commissioner of education Chris Cerf by Monday, January 9.
