Second-grade teacher sent Afro wig, white face paint to 'mixed race' student, parents allege in new lawsuit

Two New Jersey parents have filed a lawsuit against their son's former teacher, alleging that the teacher mailed racially charged items to their "mixed-race" son.

On July 6, Kevin and Denise Anderson filed a lawsuit claiming that Christine Rzasa — a second-grade teacher at Woodland School in Warren, New Jersey, about 20 miles west of Newark — sent their son, identified in court documents only as "J.A.," an Afro wig and white face paint two years ago. The Andersons alleged in the lawsuit that students' home addresses were made available to school staff during the 2020-2021 school year because of remote learning and that Rzasa used that information to send the items to their son via Amazon.

The Andersons claimed that J.A. received the items from Amazon on July 9, 2021, but that there was no sender information included with them. They then contacted Amazon and learned from a customer service representative that Rzasa had sent the items, the lawsuit alleged.

Denise Anderson, who is described as "Afro Latina," and Kevin Anderson, who is white, further suggested that the items were a thinly veiled racial attack against their son. According to the lawsuit, J.A.'s "appearance easily identifies him as a member of the mixed-race community."

The parents claimed they reported the incident to school and district officials at the time but that nothing was done to investigate their allegations. Instead, they said J.A. soon became the victim of a "hostile education environment" in retaliation for their complaints. "[J.A.] was so fearful, humiliated and intimidated that he suffered emotional and mental damages for which he had to receive therapy, change of schools and suffer other damages," the complaint stated. "Rzasa’s conduct can be described as nothing short of outrageous."

The lawsuit named Rzasa, Woodland Principal Jeff Heaney, the Warren Township School District, and the district board as defendants "individually and in their official capacities." The Andersons are seeking monetary compensation and sensitivity training for Woodland teachers, the Daily Beast reported.

The Daily Beast also reported that Rzasa had been teaching at Woodland since 2001, though as of Wednesday morning, there is no Christine Rzasa or any teacher with the first name Christine listed in the staff directory on the school website. The website does list a second-grade teacher named Christina, but her last name is not Rzasa. The outlet also made reference to a LinkedIn account associated with Rzasa, but that account apparently no longer exists.

The Daily Beast also asserted that Rzasa received the the Governor’s Teacher of the Year award in 2006 as well, but a website associated with the "Governor's Educator of the Year Program" does not appear to list Rzasa's name anywhere. Rzasa declined the Daily Beast's request for comment.

Seemingly speaking on behalf of all defendants in the lawsuit, the Warren Township School District stated that it "rejects hate and racism in all forms" and that it intends to defend itself against the accusations. "The Board of Education and the individual employees deny the allegations in the Complaint and intend to vigorously defend the case," said communications coordinator Shannon Regan. "At all relevant times, the Board of Education’s primary concern is the education and well-being of its students."

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