TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Just weeks after multiple civil lawsuits accused former Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools Superintendent Karen Homiek and other administrators of failing to protect students from sexual abuse, the OCVTS Board of Education voted to appoint her son-in-law, Gary McDonald, as the district’s new superintendent.

Those lawsuits came after two of the school’s former educators were arrested and charged with sexual assaults involving students.

The appointment comes during one of the most turbulent periods in OCVTS history. Two former Performing Arts Academy teachers have already pleaded guilty in separate criminal cases involving sexual relationships with students, while former students, employees and whistleblowers now allege administrators ignored warnings, retaliated against those who spoke out and allowed misconduct to continue for years. Those allegations remain pending in civil litigation and have not been adjudicated.

Three lawsuits have been filed. More are expected as former students are emerging with their stories. The Ocean County Board of Commissioners have requested the district perform an investigation, but victims and whisteblowers are saying it’s not enough.

They want to see the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office involved. So far, both agencies have been implicated by whistleblowers and victims for also turning a blind eye as the case involves political power brokers in Ocean County, pay-to-play law firms, and high-profile politicos on both sides of the political aisle.

McDonald’s appointment means leadership of one of New Jersey’s largest vocational school districts will remain within the same extended family that oversaw the district during the years now under intense public and legal scrutiny. McDonald’s wife is Jody Homiek McDonald, daughter of the former superintendent at the center of the alleged cover-up and investigations.

Gary McDonald has been appointed superintendent of OCVTS.
McDonald is the verified son-in-law of former Superintendent Karen Homiek.
Homiek retired in June after nearly 30 years with the district.
Two former Performing Arts Academy teachers previously pleaded guilty in separate criminal cases involving students.
Multiple civil lawsuits allege administrators failed to respond appropriately to reports of abuse and retaliated against whistleblowers. Those allegations remain pending.
Ocean County Commissioners have called for an independent third-party investigation into OCVTS.

Leadership transition comes during unprecedented legal scrutiny

Homiek’s retirement closed a career spanning nearly three decades with OCVTS. Before becoming superintendent in 2019, she served for years as principal of the Performing Arts Academy, one of the district’s signature programs. That is where the confirmed and other alleged sexual assaults by teachers occurred.

Her retirement, however, coincided with a rapidly expanding legal crisis. She retired in June after a whistleblower lawsuit filed by retired New Jersey State Trooper and former teacher Robert Yaiser. It was also known at the time that former students would soon file lawsuits against Homiek and the district.

Multiple civil lawsuits filed this summer allege administrators created or tolerated an environment in which reports of inappropriate conduct involving teachers and students were ignored, minimized or concealed. Homiek is named as a defendant in those lawsuits, which accuse district leadership of failing to adequately respond to complaints and retaliating against individuals who raised concerns.

Homiek has not been criminally charged, and the allegations against her remain unproven. It is now up to her son-in-law, McDonald to oversee an independent investigation into her actions.

Criminal cases preceded civil litigation

The controversy surrounding OCVTS did not begin with the recent lawsuits.

Former Performing Arts Academy teacher Zachary Slater was arrested in 2022 and later pleaded guilty in connection with sexual conduct involving a student under his supervision. He forfeited his teaching credentials and is required to register as a sex offender.

Former teacher Douglas Bollinger was arrested in 2024 after prosecutors alleged he engaged in criminal sexual conduct involving a student. Bollinger later pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, received parole supervision for life, forfeited his teaching certificates, must register under Megan’s Law and is permanently barred from public employment.

Those criminal cases have become central to the broader civil litigation now confronting OCVTS.

The lawsuits contend the district’s institutional failures extended beyond the actions of individual teachers, alleging administrators failed to properly respond to warning signs and complaints. Those claims remain allegations that have not been resolved in court.

Lawsuits paint broader picture of institutional failures

The civil litigation now pending against OCVTS reaches far beyond the conduct of Slater and Bollinger.

Former students allege a longstanding culture in which inappropriate relationships between staff and students were overlooked, complaints were discouraged and whistleblowers faced retaliation.

One lawsuit alleges the problems date back decades and identifies multiple incidents that plaintiffs argue should have prompted stronger intervention by school leadership.

The complaints name OCVTS, Homiek and other current or former administrators as defendants.

Those defendants have not been found liable, and the litigation remains pending.

The lawsuits seek damages while asking the courts to determine whether district officials breached duties owed to students.

Whistleblower allegations continue to expand

Former OCVTS instructor Robert Yaiser has become one of the most visible critics of district leadership.

Yaiser filed a whistleblower lawsuit under New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, alleging he suffered retaliation after raising concerns involving student safety and district administration.

His lawsuit names OCVTS, its Board of Education and several current and former administrators.

Yaiser has repeatedly argued that employees who attempted to report misconduct faced retaliation rather than support. Yaiser also accuses Homiek of allowing the conduct to go unreported, even claiming that she and county leadership took punitive action against anyone who spoke out about the alleged student-teacher sexual assaults, bullying, and harassment during her tenure.

Those allegations remain contested and have not been proven in court.

Last week, several people involved in the matter told Shore News Network they had been contacted by FBI investigators. The FBI did not confirm the presence of an investigation when asked by Shore News Network.

Additional records sought through public-records requests by Sean Nelson Boero have focused attention on whether county officials received warnings years before the criminal prosecutions became public.

Boero has argued those records raise questions about what officials knew and what actions, if any, followed.

Whistleblowers have supplied Shore News Network with a trove of audio recordings, emails, texts and photos confirming their allegations.

Other officials who were notified through the years include the Office the Attorney General, Ocean County Commissioners, the FBI, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, the Toms River Police Department, and Congressmen Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew.

Van Drew’s office told the whistleblowers that an investigation was out of their jurisdiction and that they could not use their influence to push law enforcement to conduct an investigation. Both are Republicans. Republicans control the OCVTS board, and Ocean County Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners demand independent investigation

The growing controversy has expanded beyond the courthouse.

The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has publicly called for an independent third-party investigation into OCVTS and the district’s handling of past allegations involving student safety. That effort was spearheaded by Commissioner Director Frank Sadeghi.

Commissioners have said the public deserves confidence that concerns were handled appropriately and that any institutional failures are fully examined. However, the decision on whether to investigate now lies with MacDonald, the son-in-law of the former superintendent at the center of the investigation.

That request came as additional lawsuits continued to be filed and public scrutiny intensified, and other news agencies began reporting after the story was first reported by Shore News Network in June.

One prominent Toms River law firm and its principal, Robert C. Shea, are also at the center of the investigation. Yaiser claims the school district leaned on Shea’s legal expertise to help them navigate troubled waters over the past few years, even accusing Shea of assisting in the cover-up.

Separately, Shore News Network has previously reported that sources familiar with the matter said the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office was reviewing allegations related to the district’s handling of abuse complaints. The Attorney General’s Office has not publicly confirmed such an investigation.

Questions surround succession planning

Against that backdrop, the appointment of McDonald raises governance questions that are likely to receive public attention.

Although family relationships do not by themselves establish wrongdoing or disqualify someone from public employment, governance experts often emphasize that public confidence depends upon transparent hiring processes, particularly when agencies are facing litigation involving prior leadership.

The board has publicly selected McDonald to lead the district through one of the most challenging periods in its history.

Whether the board considered outside candidates, how finalists were evaluated and why McDonald was selected are questions likely to be raised by members of the public given the district’s ongoing legal challenges.

The board’s vote places McDonald in charge of rebuilding confidence among students, parents, faculty and taxpayers while defending the district against multiple lawsuits.

District faces long road ahead

Regardless of the outcome of the pending litigation, OCVTS faces years of legal, financial and reputational challenges. The criminal convictions of two former teachers fundamentally changed public perception of the Performing Arts Academy.

Now the courts must determine whether the broader allegations against district leadership have legal merit.

At the same time, district leaders must restore confidence that student safety systems are effective and that complaints are handled appropriately.

McDonald now inherits responsibility for leading those efforts while simultaneously guiding one of New Jersey’s largest vocational school districts.

How the new administration responds to ongoing litigation, whistleblower claims and calls for independent oversight will likely shape OCVTS for years to come.

Who is the new OCVTS superintendent?
- Gary McDonald was appointed superintendent by the OCVTS Board of Education.
What is his relationship to Karen Homiek?
- McDonald is Karen Homiek’s son-in-law.
Why is OCVTS under scrutiny?
- The district faces multiple civil lawsuits alleging administrators failed to appropriately respond to reports of sexual misconduct involving students. Those allegations remain pending.
Were any teachers criminally convicted?
- Yes. Former teachers Zachary Slater and Douglas Bollinger each pleaded guilty in separate criminal cases involving students.
Has Karen Homiek been criminally charged?
- No. She is a defendant in pending civil litigation but has not been criminally charged.
Has an independent investigation been requested?
- Yes. The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has publicly called for an independent third-party investigation.

Sources: Ocean County Commissioners, OCVTS, Toms River Police Department OPRA, Opramachine, Robert Yaiser, Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Jail Records