A Long Island teacher who was accused of sexually harassing male colleagues and students last year is back in the classroom, The Post has learned.
Cecilia Sanossian, 52, a married mother of two, referred to male underlings as “FILFs,” or “fathers I’d like to f- -k,” and called one a “hot fudge chocolate (sundae) that students want to eat,” her accusers at Valley Stream North High School alleged last year.
Despite 10 members of the social studies department signing a letter condemning her, an internal investigation found the complaints unsubstantiated and Sanossian resumed teaching last week.
“When I saw her at school, I couldn’t believe it,” said one teacher. “It’s unbelievable that they would allow this to happen. It’s a cover up of her actions, plain and simple. People – teachers, students – are just in shock.”
But district brass staunchly defended Sanossian’s return and said she had every right to be back on campus.
“Following allegations last summer, the district conducted an extensive internal investigation,” district superintendent Bill Heidenreich told The Post in a statement. “The findings of the investigation are a matter of personnel, privacy laws prohibit the disclosure of specifics, however, through the outcome of that investigation she has been permitted to return to the
classroom.”
But Sanossian’s critics noted that the Equal Employment Opportunity Center found in March that there was probable cause for a case against her.
“When you have every single person in an entire department sign their names on a letter detailing the problem, how exactly do you find that it’s unsubstantiated?” asked one teacher.
Two teachers, Al Daddino and John Brennan, filed with the state Division of Human Rights after they said their complaints about Sanossian were ignored last year by school brass.
A source said the two married men plan on pursuing a civil rights claim against Sanossian.
Three former students also told The Post last year that Sanossian’s gave unsolicited massages that made them uncomfortable with sexually charged behavior.
Her attorney, Brad Gerstman, said the accusers trumped up the charges out of sheer spite.
Sanossian filed defamation suits against Daddino and Brennan last year, claiming that they sought to destroy her because they were afraid she would blow the whistle on their own behavior.
“Cecilia Sanossian was an accomplished educator, a chairperson, and a strong female in a department otherwise dominated by males,” Gerstman told The Post. “And they couldn’t deal with that reality. This is nothing more than a collusive sham to turn workplace envy into personal retribution.”
Sanossian isn’t the only female teacher being accused of sexual misconduct: