A group of Carmel parents have called for school district Superintendent Sharon Ofek to be placed on administrative leave while a third-party probe looks into allegations made in a lawsuit by a former Carmel Unified School District principal against Ofek.

It is one of multiple active lawsuits pointed out by the group that they say have called into question Ofek’s leadership in the district.

There is also an active lawsuit against Chief HR Officer Craig Chavez made by a district employee currently on a medical leave of absence. The employee is not identified in the suit, but is referred to as Jane Doe.

“When I first took on this role as superintendent, I knew it would be challenging, as the district had been repeatedly entangled in lawsuits,” said Ofek in a prepared statement. “However, I am deeply concerned that some individuals are misleading the public by attaching my name to lawsuits regarding alleged activities that took place before I even began my tenure. This misinterpretation distracts from the real work at hand — educating all our students so they can thrive and succeed in and beyond the classroom.”

Ofek was appointed in January 2024 after serving as acting superintendent for nearly a year following the resignation of her predecessor Ted Knight, who was accused of mishandling personnel matters. The district approved a $770,000 separation agreement with Knight, the district’s fifth superintendent in eight years.

A petition created in May has gathered over 130 signatures from Carmel community members urging the district place Ofek on leave while an investigation takes place. The petition alleges a pattern of “serious leadership failures” including multiple lawsuits dating as far back as 2023, a federal civil rights violation and declining enrollment. The district currently has just over 2,100 students.

Alberto Ramirez

Former Carmel River Elementary School Principal Alberto Ramirez filed a lawsuit on April 17 alleging the reason he was not rehired by Ofek was retaliatory and that he was subject to discrimination and harassment. Ramirez had been in his position since fall 2023, after former Principal Jay Marden retired.

Ramirez’ lawyer, Michael Welch, declined to comment, saying their allegations are clear and laid out in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims Ofek pressured Ramirez, a teacher for 17 years and former teacher’s union representative, into supporting her bid for superintendent by urging him to write a letter to the Board of Education advocating for her to be elevated from acting superintendent into the permanent position.

“Still new in his job, and not wanting to risk retribution from his direct superior,” Ramirez sent the letter, according to the lawsuit.

On multiple instances, alleges the lawsuit, Ramirez and Ofek clashed after the former principal voiced concerns regarding the behavior of a physical education teacher toward students as well as the treatment of district teachers having to do with their workload and benefits.

“Plaintiff is informed and believes, and thereon alleges, that both his witnessing of alleged violation of rights and protections of CUSD teachers, and/or advocacy for such teachers, put him in conflict with the authority and agenda of Ofek and CUSD,” reads the lawsuit.

The district denies the allegations and says it cannot go into detail regarding why Ramirez was not rehired, according to a statement by its legal counsel. The district felt it had legitimate reasons to end his employment and was within its rights to do so since Ramirez was a probationary employee, according to the statement.

“The district strongly disputes the allegations of wrongdoing and plans on vigorously defending itself in court,” reads the statement.

On the last day of the 2023-24 school year, Ofek notified Ramirez she would not be rehiring him for the following year. Ramirez had never been notified of concerns about his job performance or conduct, only having received positive feedback, said the lawsuit.

Jane Doe

Jane Doe’s lawsuit was filed on May 19 by a current Carmel Unified receptionist and human resources assistant. Jane Doe, who is described in the suit as an African American woman, alleges she and other employees have been racially discriminated against by Chavez and their concerns have been overlooked by Ofek.

An employee since July 2023, Doe’s first formal complaint was made in December 2023, describing “racially offensive and uncomfortable treatment” by a parent in the district office. A week after the incident was reported, Ofek responded and told Jane Doe that Chavez would follow up with strategies should another instance occur in the future. Chavez allegedly did not follow up with Jane Doe.

The lawsuit also outlines multiple occasions where Doe and other Black employees described feeling discriminated against, including when Chavez allegedly accused a Black employee of stealing from the administration office’s staff-only area and subsequently changing the locks on interior office doors.

Chavez also allegedly expressed objections to a T-shirt Jane Doe wore to work while school was not in session. The shirt had the phrase “Black girl magic” written on the front.

On May 5, following more alleged instances of discrimination and bullying, Doe filed a formal complaint to Ofek and the district reporting she was being discriminated against by Chavez. In the complaint, Doe wrote “I do not feel safe.”

Ofek responded to the complaint, saying the district would review the complaint pursuant to district policy and an investigator would be secured.

“To date, no one has contacted (Doe) to confirm that an independent investigator has been appointed to investigate her complaint,” according to the lawsuit.

The law firm representing Jane Doe, Salinas-based Fitzpatrick & Swanston, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Fitzpatrick & Swanston previously represented three women who filed sexual harassment lawsuits against the district in 2023 — Chavez was the “common denominator” in all three cases by “not doing his job,” said plaintiff lawyer James Fitzpatrick at the time.

The district’s legal counsel said in a prepared statement it will be filing an answer to Jane Doe’s lawsuit and denying the allegations. The district will be asserting “applicable affirmative defenses,” which are legal arguments raised by the defense to defeat or mitigate a claim. These defenses can often include self-defense or the statute of limitations.

The petition circulating in the community specifically points out the Ramirez and Jane Doe lawsuits as well as perceived financial mismanagement as “a troubling picture of a district in crisis, where student and staff safety have been repeatedly compromised under Superintendent Ofek’s leadership.”

“I refuse to let a few detractors shift the focus away from our students and the incredible progress we are making as a District,” said Ofek’s statement. “…No matter who holds this position — whether it’s me, my predecessors or my successors — the positives outweigh any negatives, which are largely remnants of old ways of thinking.”