‘Pedophile Parties’ In A NJ School? Lawsuit Says Pinelands Staff Turned Red Flags Into A Joke

By the Garden State Gazette staff;

LITTLE EGG HARBOR — A South Jersey special-ed teacher says she tried to blow the whistle on “pedophile parties” and a co-worker’s boundary-crossing with a student — and wound up pushed out of her job instead.

Those are allegations in a civil whistleblower and discrimination lawsuit filed by former Pinelands Regional School District teacher Melissa Pomphrey, who says her warnings about student safety were brushed off, her classroom was eliminated, and her career in the district was quietly cut off.

The district, for its part, has formally denied her claims in court filings and publicly called the case a “baseless lawsuit.”

Important: None of the allegations in Pomphrey’s lawsuit have been proven in court. As of now, this is a civil case — not a criminal prosecution — and no criminal charges tied to these specific claims have been reported.

What The Lawsuit Claims: ‘Dress As Your Favorite Pedophile’

According to Pomphrey’s lawsuit, a male paraprofessional who worked in her high-school autism classroom is at the center of the controversy.

The complaint alleges:

• The paraprofessional attended what Pomphrey describes as “pedophile parties,” where he and other staff would dress “as their favorite pedophile.”
• At least one such event was described to her as a “dress as your favorite pedophile” party around August 2023, according to what’s outlined in the filing and summarized by multiple outlets.

Pomphrey’s lawsuit argues that even the theme itself shows an “egregious glorification of pedophiles” inside a public school system tasked with protecting kids and vulnerable students.

The district has not publicly confirmed that any such themed gatherings took place and has denied wrongdoing across the board in court documents.

Alleged Boundary-Crossing With A Teen Student

The lawsuit goes further than the alleged “parties.”

In January 2024, Pomphrey says she became alarmed by the same paraprofessional’s relationship with a teen girl who was a junior at the high school, not a student in her special-ed class.

According to the complaint and related reporting:

• Pomphrey says she believed the relationship between the paraprofessional and the student was “inappropriate” and might even violate the law, according to her lawsuit, and that he would invite the girl to “hang out” after school.
• She also alleges he exposed the girl to risk by bringing her into a special-needs classroom where an 18-year-old autistic male student could be “sexually violent toward females.”

These descriptions are Pomphrey’s allegations in a civil filing. Court documents show the district has denied her claims. No criminal charges connected to these particular accusations have been reported in the publicly available news coverage GSG reviewed.

‘Sham’ Investigation Or Routine HR Move?

Pomphrey says she reported her concerns — about both the alleged “pedophile” themed parties and the paraprofessional’s conduct with the student — to Principal Troy Henderson and Director of Special Services Marisa Elwood, among other officials named in the complaint.

Her lawsuit claims:

• Administrators moved the paraprofessional out of her classroom but kept him employed in the district.
• She believes the district’s response amounted to a “sham” investigation that failed to seriously address her safety concerns.

In the filing, Pomphrey characterizes what happened next as retaliation:

• In May 2024, she was told her high-school autism class — serving six students with autism, ages 16 to 21 — was being eliminated.
• She was reassigned to a middle school special-ed classroom, which she describes in the lawsuit as a “demotion” and a punitive transfer.

The district has not publicly offered a detailed explanation of its staffing decisions in this case, but in statements and court answers, it has rejected her claims of retaliation and wrongdoing.

Mental-Health Spiral And A Contract That Vanished

After being told about the transfer, Pomphrey says her health collapsed.

In her lawsuit, she describes:

• A summer of severe anxiety and depression, plus nausea and uncontrollable vomiting tied to the stress of the situation.
• Psychiatric treatment and multiple medications as she tried to keep working.

Once she reported to the new middle-school assignment in September 2024, she says things got worse. According to the complaint, she:

• Stepped out of class to throw up.
• Left early multiple times because she felt faint and overwhelmed.

On Nov. 15, 2024, her doctor and psychiatrist placed her on unpaid disability leave. While she was still out, Pomphrey says she was notified her contract would not be renewed for the upcoming school year because she “was not a good fit.”

Her lawsuit frames that non-renewal as the final step in pushing out a teacher who wouldn’t stop raising safety concerns.

What She’s Asking For In Court

Pomphrey’s lawsuit, filed in Ocean County Superior Court in August 2025, seeks a long list of remedies, including:

• Her job back in the district.
• Back pay and benefits, plus potential “front pay” if reinstatement isn’t possible.
• Compensatory and punitive damages, including for emotional distress.
• Reimbursement of attorney’s fees.
• Court-ordered training for district leaders on discrimination and retaliation.

The suit names the Pinelands Regional School District, Principal Troy Henderson, Director of Special Services Marisa Elwood, and special-ed teacher Scott Beaton as defendants.

A trial date has not yet been set.

How The District Is Framing It

Publicly, Pinelands officials are treating this like a case with no merit.

In a statement previously given to local media, Superintendent Melissa McCooley said:

“The Pinelands Regional School District takes all matters involving the safety and well-being of our students with the utmost seriousness. However, we will not dignify this baseless lawsuit with a response.”

In court, the district has filed responses denying Pomphrey’s allegations.

Two Competing Narratives — And One Big Question For NJ Parents

At the heart of the case are two competing narratives:

• In Pomphrey’s telling, she saw what she believed were boundary-crossing and unsafe situations around students, reported them through the chain of command, and was slowly pushed out of the district for refusing to stay quiet.
• In the district’s telling, it values student safety, followed appropriate procedures, and is now defending itself against what it views as an unfounded lawsuit.

A judge and possibly a jury will decide how much weight to give Pomphrey’s story, the district’s denials, and whatever evidence surfaces in discovery.

Until then, families in Little Egg Harbor, Barnegat, and across the state are left with a simple, uncomfortable question every time a case like this breaks:

When a teacher says, “Something’s wrong here,” does the system protect the kids — and the whistleblower — or protect itself first?