Riverhead school district workers accuse facilities director of making offensive racial remarks, retaliation

Three Riverhead school district employees say they endured months of racially offensive remarks, intimidation and retaliation from their supervisor — and say the Board of Education has agreed to reopen an investigation into their complaints after an outside investigator previously found them unsubstantiated.

Elwood Lamb, Elliot Ward and Paul DeVito, longtime employees in the district’s Buildings and Grounds Department, said their complaints concern the conduct of Riverhead Central School District Director of Facilities Anthony Martino, who oversees tehir department.

The workers said the breaking point came last spring after Martino repeatedly made a crude remark involving former President Barack Obama.

Lamb, a 28-year district employee and union shop steward, said Martino would announce when going to the bathroom that he was “going to the White House to drop off Obama.”

Lamb said several employees approached him about the remarks, which they found offensive. DeVito independently confirmed hearing the remarks on multiple occasions.

Lamb and Ward also said Martino used the N-word while singing lyrics from a rap song in the break room, looking toward the two men, who are Black.

“I was shocked,” Ward said. He said the incident made him so uncomfortable that he stopped taking breaks in the break room and began eating in his car.

Workers say complaints led to retaliation

Lamb and Ward said they initially approached Martino directly about the Obama remarks rather than filing a formal complaint. They recorded the conversation, during which Lamb said Martino asked what part of his remark had offended them — “the toilet bowl or the White House.”

Lamb said they played the recording for the Board of Education during a closed-door meeting in executive session at the Oct. 28 board meeting. 

The workers said Martino’s treatment of them deteriorated after they confronted him. Lamb said Martino largely stopped speaking to them directly, instead communicating through another employee and assigning them undesirable work.

Lamb eventually filed a formal complaint after learning that Martino had complained to the district’s Human Resources Department about the workers, portraying Lamb as aggressive and the employees as unwilling to be supervised.

The district hired an outside investigator, identified by Lamb as former Huntington school superintendent Joe Gianni. The workers said they were subsequently informed that the investigation found insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations of racial discrimination or workplace violence.

The employees said the district refused their requests for a copy of the investigator’s report, leaving them unable to determine which witnesses were interviewed or how their allegations were evaluated.

They appealed the findings and eventually brought their complaints to the Board of Education.

Lamb and DeVito said their CSEA labor relations specialist subsequently informed them that the board had agreed to reopen the investigation. 

Riverhead School Superintendent Bob Hagain declined to comment for this article. “Per district policy, and on the advice of legal counsel, the district does not comment on personnel matters,” Hagan said in a text message Friday afternoon.

The workers also allege Martino retaliated against them by changing their assignments and working conditions.

Lamb said he was recently transferred to Riley Avenue School after 15 years in Buildings and Grounds, despite being the most senior employee in the department.

DeVito said he was transferred to Riverhead High School and his work hours were changed from 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., disrupting family obligations and making his maintenance duties more difficult to perform during the school day.

Both men said they filed grievances challenging those changes.

Ward, who remained in the Buildings and Grounds shop, said he and DeVito were assigned to change ventilation filters on the high school roof during a summer day when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. Ward said he believes the assignment was retaliatory.

Additional allegations of misconduct

The workers also described other incidents they characterized as intimidation and bullying.

DeVito said he witnessed Martino kicking water bottles away from another longtime employee who was on the floor attempting to pick them up in a district building.

DeVito said he heard a crash, came out of the break room and saw Martino standing over the employee, repeatedly kicking bottles away from his hands. Martino stopped when he noticed DeVito, he said.

The employees said additional workers have since approached the union with complaints about Martino’s conduct.

The three men said they are also preparing a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights.

Martino did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. 

Lamb said he and Ward did not initially seek to get Martino disciplined when they confronted him about the remarks. They wanted the behavior to stop.

Instead, he said, speaking up made them targets.

“I went and confronted my boss about his racial slurs,” Lamb said, “and I get retaliated against.”