School Officials in Sex Rumor Suit

A Huntington Beach elementary school principal and her husband have sued a school board member, saying the trustee spread false rumors accusing her of having sex with the district superintendent.

The suit by Roni Ellis, principal of Harbour View Elementary School, and her husband, David, the Long Beach fire chief, is the latest controversy to embroil the Ocean View School District.

In addition to suing board member Barbara Boskovich, the Ellises named the board of trustees and Supt. James Tarwater, saying he did not do enough to put an end to the rumors. The lawsuit charges sexual harassment, slander and invasion of privacy.

Boskovich declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed May 13.

She was elected to a second term in November, receiving the highest number of votes for the Ocean View board. But despite her ability to attract votes, she has been a polarizing figure.

A campaign to recall Boskovich has been filed with the Orange County registrar of voters, citing the Ellis rumor and allegations of district overspending, the district’s refusal to investigate a school-related child molestation case, and “exorbitant legal fees to defend her personal unethical behaviors.” The recall supporters have until Oct. 11 to gather 8,476 signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

The rumor blossomed at the Dec. 7 board meeting when about 200 parents, teachers, staff and others excoriated Boskovich for spreading the allegations and called for her resignation.

An attorney the district hired to conduct an investigation into the matter reported that Boskovich said she told Tarwater and Ellis of the rumor. In her report, the attorney also found the evidence “uncontroverted” that Boskovich had “commented about a rumor concerning sexual favors being traded for projects.”

Boskovich wrote letters of apology to the Ellises, Tarwater said.

According to the lawsuit and an interview with Ellis, Boskovich and the principal had a history of thorny relations, starting when they squared off over the proposed construction of a Wal-Mart on the site of a closed school. Ellis supported the idea; Boskovich opposed it. A ballot initiative to halt the project was defeated in 2000.

The lawsuit charges that in September 2004, Boskovich told Ellis she was disappointed because the principal’s staff did not support her bid for reelection.

The lawsuit alleges that, at the same time, Boskovich told Ellis there was a rumor she was “giving sexual favors” to the superintendent in exchange for allowing a Harbour View building project to go over budget. Boskovich said that an unnamed member of Ellis’ staff started the rumor, according to the suit.

Boskovich told the rumor to 10 to 15 people in the staff lounge at an elementary school on Oct. 1, 2004, and at a party, the suit alleges.

In October, Ellis filed a formal complaint with Tarwater. Michael Luker, the assistant superintendent of human resources, told Ellis that the superintendent “did not believe it was sexual harassment and that an investigation was not necessary,” the lawsuit alleges.

Still, Ocean View hired the outside attorney to investigate the allegation. The lawyer concluded that the comments did not constitute sexual harassment, said school district attorney Gary Gibeaut. Gibeaut said he agreed.

This controversy is the latest to roil the district. Two years after the battle over the Wal-Mart, there was a fight over plans to build combination gyms-auditoriums at four schools.

When a former elementary school teacher was convicted of molesting boys and sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2002, the prosecutor in the case criticized Ocean View officials.

The district agreed a year later to pay $6.8 million to six boys who said Jason Abhyankar had molested them. District officials had also recommended the teacher for a classroom job in another district even though they allegedly suspected him of acting inappropriately around students.

In addition, Boskovich has found herself embroiled in another controversy over contacting police about a verbal threat one fourth-grader made to another. After getting a call from the mother of one of the children, a district report said, Boskovich called the police chief, a friend of hers, and attended a meeting between a girl’s parents and police. The district reviewed her actions and ultimately determined that she had not violated board policy.Tarwater said the board had been contentious since he arrived at the district 12 years ago. Last week he signed a three-year contract to head the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, starting June 20. He said his departure was not connected to the controversy.