Judge voids suspension of Washington Township school superintendent
Superior Court Judge Benjamin Telsey said the board violated the Open Public Meetings Act at its March 18, 2025 meeting when it suspended Hibbs.
A judge has struck down the suspension of Washington Township School Superintendent Eric Hibbs, ruling that the school board voted improperly when it placed the South Jersey schools chief on paid leave.
In a one-page order released Thursday, Superior Court Judge Benjamin C. Telsey said the board violated the Open Public Meetings Act at its March 18 meeting when it suspended Hibbs. As a result, a resolution to suspend Hibbs is void, the judge said.
“We’re gratified. We think the judge got it exactly right,” said attorney Stephen J. Edelstein, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of a resident contesting the suspension.
It was not immediately clear what the decision would mean for Hibbs and the district, which has been in upheaval. An acting superintendent has been running the Gloucester County school system.
» READ MORE: Washington Township school board refuses to reinstate its suspended superintendent
Jodi Howlett, an attorney who represents the district’s insurance carrier and handled the matter, did not respond to a message. Ari Schneider, the board solicitor, and board president Julie Kozempel declined to comment.
Said Edelstein: “Our reading of this order is that Dr. Hibbs is no longer suspended and should be reinstated immediately.” Hibbs was not a party to the lawsuit, which was filed in May.
Austin Tobin, an attorney for Hibbs, said in a statement that Hibbs plans “to return to his desk Monday morning, ready, willing and able to resume his position as Superintendent of Schools.” Hibbs did not respond to a message.
“Suffice to say, the Board should be ashamed of their blatantly retaliatory and unlawful suspension of Dr. Hibbs’ employment,” Tobin said.
The board has not publicly stated why it suspended Hibbs. Marc Zitomer, another attorney for Hibbs, said his client was told that he was suspended because of an ethics complaint.
The complaint alleges Hibbs provided preferential treatment to a relative of a board member by changing a failing math grade in September 2023.
Hibbs has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging his suspension was in retaliation for raising questions about a district insurance contract.
Telsey, the judge, voided a resolution invoking the “doctrine of necessity” adopted by the board to carry out the suspension vote. The board said the action was needed because several members had conflicts of interest and it did not have the quorum needed to vote.
But the board violated the Open Public Meetings Act when it voted on the doctrine while in closed session, the judge said.
In his lawsuit, resident Randy Ford contended the resolution to suspend Hibbs was introduced, revised, and voted upon without mention of the doctrine.
Ford, an attorney, also contends the situation did not meet the conditions required to invoke the doctrine, such as a pressing need that could not be postponed. He voiced his concerns at the March meeting.
“It really raised some alarms for me,” Ford said Thursday.
Telsey said Ford has until Aug. 11 to apply for reimbursement for legal fees from the district. Telsey scheduled a hearing for Sept. 8 on the matter.
Ford could not estimate how much his legal fees would total. The board approved a $5,231 payment this week to Howlett’s firm.
A self-described “rules follower,” Ford said he filed the lawsuit because of a strong belief in transparency and not because of Hibbs.
“I hope the board knows people are watching and they expect transparency,” Ford said. “At the end of the day, this type of behavior needs to stop.”
Resident Tom Baldosoro hopes the judge’s order will end the superintendent controversy. He is among several people who filed ethics complaints about district and board operations.
“It’s just maddening to me. At some point you cut your losses,” he said. “I would love to have nine board members that cared about the district.”
The bickering comes at a difficult time for the district, with schools scheduled to reopen next month. The board raised school property taxes in June and made sweeping cuts, including layoffs, to close an $11 million budget deficit.
At a meeting Tuesday night, an attempt to reinstate Hibbs failed when a motion to bring him back did not get the five votes needed.
Hibbs has been superintendent since 2023. His contract, with an annual salary of $215,000, runs through 2027.