Former Elmsford schools superintendent resigned weeks after facing workplace claim

Less than two months after an elementary school teacher filed a claim against him, then-Elmsford schools Superintendent Ronald Gonzalez resigned from the job in November. He had served as superintendent for only eight months.

While Gonzalez' resignation was reported at the time, details regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure are only now coming to light.

Last September, a woman then-employed as an Elmsford elementary school teacher filed a notice of claim against Gonzalez and the school district. A notice of claim is a precursor to a lawsuit, and it allows a governmental body to consider a financial settlement over a claim of wrongdoing before further legal action is brought.

The district refused to disclose the substance of the allegations made by the teacher, whom The Journal News/lohud is not naming, deeming them "unsubstantiated."

Nevertheless, the district entered into a settlement with her in February, agreeing to pay her $35,000 in exchange for her promise not to take legal action against Gonzalez or the district. The district further denied any liability or wrongdoing.

The settlement was obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request.

The agreement also outlines a provision of confidentiality, preventing either party from disclosing the underlying facts of the teacher's claim. Under New York law, such non-disclosure clauses are illegal unless they are included at the preference of the complainant. In the settlement agreement with Elmsford, the teacher indicated her preference that the matter remain confidential.

Gonzalez did not return a request for comment about the nature of the incident or his role, if any, in it.

He joined Elmsford as interim superintendent in July 2022 before becoming superintendent in March 2023. He previously served as an assistant superintendent in the Tarrytowns school district and as principal of Mount Vernon High School from 2011 to 2021.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.