Judge Rejects Teacher’s Sex Harassment Claim Man Said Female Colleagues Had Made Vulgar Gestures, Remarks

Newport High School social studies teacher Roger Coplen’s claim that two female colleagues sexually harassed him is unbelievable, a state administrative law judge has ruled.

The judge, David G. Hansen, rejected the 51-year-old Coplen’s appeal to the state superintendent of public instruction. He agreed with the Newport School District that former curriculum director Pam Veltri, 42, and counselor Sylvia Campbell, 36, did not violate district and state rules against sexual harassment.

Since the alleged harassment from 1992 to 1994, Veltri has become director of student services and curriculum for the Medical Lake School District and Campbell has transferred to Sadie Halstead Middle School in Newport.

Hansen said in his ruling that Coplen didn’t present several of his allegations until months after the offenses were supposed to have occurred - even though he was pressing other harassment complaints at the time of the alleged incidents.

The judge doubted Coplen would have overlooked the incidents in view of his “propensity for keeping detailed, meticulous records.”

An allegation that one of the women made sexually explicit gestures wasn’t reported until about 10 months after the fact, Hansen stated in his ruling. He said he didn’t think Coplen would have waited 10 months to mention “such an outlandish and bizarre incident” if he were as offended as he claimed.

Another of Coplen’s complaints - that the women made vulgar remarks in his presence - also didn’t appear in a 15-page “chronology of events” Coplen submitted two months later, Hansen noted.

Bottom line, Hansen ruled: All four alleged incidents “did not occur.”

“I am really happy with the decision,” Veltri said. “It just lets people know what I’ve known all along: that his allegations were false.”

Campbell did not respond to requests for comment, but school district attorney Jeff Thimsen called the decision “very clear” and “a very good defense” against any further litigation.

Coplen said he will appeal the decision to Superior Court.

“There’s more innings in a ball game than one,” he said.

His attorney, John Cooper, said Coplen also “is contemplating further litigation.”

Coplen needs approval from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to sue the Newport School District on grounds that federal sexual harassment laws were violated. The commission has not issued its ruling.

Cooper said it is unclear whether commission approval also is needed to sue under state sexual harassment laws.

He said Coplen fears retaliation by the school district and denies “he is somehow mentally unstable” as rumored.

Meanwhile, Coplen said a ruling by the state Department of Labor and Industries supports his charge that Campbell’s husband, Bruce, assaulted him with a handshake.

The state agency ruled tentatively this week that the district must pay Coplen $98 for “permanent partial disability” to the little finger of his right hand.

The district has 60 days to appeal the ruling.

Coplen said Bruce Campbell, 41, crushed his hand in the guise of a handshake at a high school graduation rehearsal. Now, he said, his little finger “doesn’t straighten out.”

Newport police declined to seek charges against Campbell due to lack of witnesses. A police report says Campbell claimed he just wanted to say hello to Coplen.

X-rays showed no broken bones, said Officer Lloyd Hixson.

, DataTimes