Two former Ferris High School students are suing the Jersey City Board of Education for an alleged 2019 assault by one of their teachers.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
” … Nayeli Sanchez was inappropriately touched, assaulted, battered, humiliated, and caused to suffer emotional distress by the defendant, Michael J. Voza … specifically he … grabbed plaintiff’s purse and spilled the contents within it,” the eight-count lawsuit filed in Hudson County Superior Court on Friday says.
The alleged May 3rd, 2019 incident inside the classroom then saw Voza, a teacher at the school, punched her “on the left side of the neck and head,” the court filing says.
Another student at the time, Sadeishy Garcia Ventura, makes similar allegations, though also notes that Voza pulled her hair, grabbed her face and attempted to put lipstick on her, and later kicked her in the buttocks.
The suit alleges assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, negligent hiring, training, and supervision, breach of duty of teacher and school personnel to student, and violation of civil rights.
As a result, the Ferris alumnus are seeking punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to compensate plaintiffs’ injuries, together with interest of costs of suit and other remedies.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Paul E. Agrapidis, of Hasbrouck Heights-based Agrapidis & Maroules, PC, with the high school and Acting Principal Jamie Morales also named as defendants.
BOE officials did not return an email seeking comment this afternoon.
