North H.S. teacher named in lawsuit

A Valley Stream North High School teacher that served as the social studies department chair at the school is the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed with the state on Monday.

Carle Place attorney Lenard Leeds, of Leeds Brown Law, filed the complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of two social studies teachers, Alphonso Daddino and John Brennan.

Daddino, 38, of Garden City, and Brennan, 42, of Brooklyn, claimed that colleague Cecilia Sanossian, 51, of Garden City, touched them and made inappropriate comments on multiple occasions, according to the New York Post. The paper said that the lawsuit includes a letter that the men and eight other teachers sent to the school’s principal in May about the alleged conduct. Their attorney said that more complainants could be added to the suit, which is not yet seeking any specific damages.

According to Newsday, Brennan claimed that he filed a sexual harassment complaint with then-principal Clifford Odell in February 2013, and that Odell replied by letter a month later saying there was “insufficient evidence to find a violation of the board policy.”

The law firm accused the Valley Stream Central High School District of failing to properly investigate allegations about Sanossian over a five-year period. Leeds said he contacted the district earlier this summer to attempt to find a resolution in lieu of a lawsuit, but there was “complete radio silence” from the district. Daddino and Brennan filed formal complaints with the state against the district on Monday.

Superintendent Bill Heidenreich issued the following statement: “The district is aware of the allegations and is conducting an internal investigation. Due to matters of personnel, the district is not offering any further comment at this time.”

Leeds said that what contact his clients will have with Sanossian after school starts next week is unclear, and will be determined by the school district.

The Post also reported that three graduates of the school, Mike Antonucci, Jesse DiMeglio and Peter Wilk, all 18, said that Sanossian acted inappropriately with them when they were students in her class, touching their backs in ways that felt “weird,” striking provocative poses and hopping onto their desks.

The students were not part of the lawsuit.