A former Manhattan Elementary District 114 employee alleges in a lawsuit filed last week that persistent and explicit sexual harassment from former Superintendent Russell Ragon led to her being denied opportunities and caused her to eventually quit her job.
The district, Ragon and former human resources Director Christine Ruddy are named as defendants in the federal lawsuit filed Dec. 6. Susana Lukaszek says her treatment as a District 114 employee violated her constitutional rights and the Illinois Civil Rights Act.
Ragon and Ruddy both resigned in February “for personal reasons,” the district told families of students at their four elementary and middle schools. The move came shortly after the School Board, with Ragon’s support, voted to remove LGBTQ+ pride symbols from a bulletin board at Wilson Creek Elementary.
Lukaszek, who resigned in January 2023, says in her complaint that Ragon and Ruddy, along with other district officials, created an “objectively intolerable” sexualized work culture. She is requesting compensatory and punitive damages.
The complaint states Ragon propositioned Lukaszek after she was hired in December 2020 as the board’s payroll and benefits coordinator, taking on responsibilities of a human resources director because the district lacked a human resources department.
Ragon, as Lukaszek’s supervisor, “on a near daily basis” subjected her to sexually graphic banter, showed her sexually explicit photographs and videos and aired his sexual frustrations and escapades with other women, according to the complaint. Ragon told Lukaszek she must not tell others about these conversations, the complaint alleges, saying they were unwanted and interfered with Lukaszek’s work.
Ragon propositioned Lukaszek repeatedly, including offering time off to meet at a hotel during work days, according to the complaint. Lukaszek said Ragon did not promote her to human resources director in response to her refusing his advances, and instead hired Ruddy in July 2022.
“(Lukaszek) was qualified for a human resources management position, or in the alternative would have been qualified had defendant Ragon provided her adequate professional development opportunities,” the complaint states. “Instead, defendant Ragon decided he would hire one of his romantic partners … so that he could engage in sexual relations and sexual banter in the workplace.”
After Ruddy began working in the district, Ragon and Ruddy began meeting during work days, including in the board of education office, according to the complaint. Ragon described their encounters to Lukaszek and invited her to join.
“These invitations were refused and unwelcome by the plaintiff,” the complaint said.
In response to Lukaszek’s lawsuit, board President John Burke said in a statement that District 114 “fosters an inclusive learning environment for our students and working environment for our employees.”
“Discrimination and harassment of students and employees is simply not tolerated,” Burke said.
He also said the board first became aware of the allegations “over nine months from her last day of employment” and said Lukaszek never complained of misconduct to the board or via her resignation letter.
Lukaszek filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission nine months after her resignation, instructing the district to preserve all potential evidence, the complaint states.
As a response, Lukaszek said, Ragon and Ruddy took two weeks of vacation each before their resignations took effect March 1. Lukaszek said the board’s inaction show it was complicit in the two former employees’ behavior.
“The defendant board’s failure to take any type of official disciplinary action against either defendant Ragon or defendant Ruddy under the circumstances and evidence known to the defendant board constituted constructive ratification and approval of their misconduct towards the plaintiff,” the complaint says.
Lukaszek, through her attorney, declined to answer questions about the lawsuit Monday. The district said they it would not comment beyond their prepared statement.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
