Steven Rodriguez, 69, is scheduled to retire as principal of Roberto Clemente Elementary School on October 1, 2026. In a civil lawsuit, he says the Paterson Public School District pressured him to leave because of his age after he turned 67, and seeks to hold the district accountable.
Rodriguez has worked for the district since 1999 and served as a principal for 18 years at several schools, according to the lawsuit, filed in Passaic County Superior Court and detailed by NJ.com. He accuses the district of age discrimination, an age-based hostile work environment, unlawful reprisals and constructive discharge. The complaint says he would have continued working for at least three more years if not for the district’s actions.
The complaint’s account of his final years in the district
Rodriguez’s complaint says the district’s treatment of him changed during the 2024-2025 school year, when he was principal of School 8. It alleges the district subjected him to excessive scrutiny and removed his vice principal, while comparable schools led by younger principals retained that support. He says the resulting workload led him to use accrued sick time and that the district then harassed him for taking leave, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further alleges that the district wanted to replace Rodriguez with a less experienced, lower-paid administrator. For the 2025-2026 school year, the district transferred him to Roberto Clemente Elementary School; the complaint says his vice principal was removed soon after the school year began, leaving him without administrative support there as well.
A reprimand after a report about a student
The complaint also cites an April 2025 incident in which Rodriguez reported that a physical education teacher had hit a student. It says the district reprimanded him for how he handled the report, and that this was his first reprimand in 26 years with the district. Rodriguez alleges that the scrutiny, staffing changes and reprimand contributed to anxiety and stress; after being overworked for a second consecutive year, he took an extended sick leave, according to the lawsuit.
Rodriguez is seeking punitive damages, legal costs, interest and other court-ordered relief, and has demanded a jury trial.
District Officials, Attorney Have Not Commented
Paterson Schools Superintendent Laurie W. Newell and Deputy Superintendent Rodney A. Henderson did not respond to requests for comment, and Rodriguez's attorney, Andrew L. Schwartz, did not respond to a request for comment either, the outlet reported. No response from the district or its named officials addressing the allegations has been made public.
The lawsuit was filed in Passaic County Superior Court. Rodriguez’s scheduled retirement date is October 1, 2026.
District governance context
For readers looking for the district’s rules on principal assignments, administrative staffing and retirement, the district’s board page offers governance background: according to Paterson Public Schools, the state restored control of the district solely to its local board on January 6, 2021, after nearly 30 years of state control. That information establishes the governance transition; it does not specify the policies on assignments, staffing or retirement.
