TOMS RIVER, N.J. – A newly filed lawsuit in Ocean County Superior Court is dramatically escalating scrutiny of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Grunin Center Performing Arts Academy, alleging a decades-long pattern of sexual abuse, administrative cover-ups, and retaliation against students and staff who reported misconduct.
The civil complaint, filed Tuesday on behalf of a former student identified only as A.S., follows a whistleblower lawsuit filed in June by a former instructor who also alleged retaliation after raising concerns about misconduct at the school.
Together, the lawsuits describe what plaintiffs characterize as an entrenched institutional culture that protected employees instead of students. The allegations contained in the complaint have not been proven in court.
The lawsuit names former teacher Douglas Bollinger, the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Board of Education, the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Performing Arts Academy, former Superintendent Karen Homiek, and numerous unnamed defendants.
Bollinger had been convicted in 2025, but Criminal case ended with guilty plea and probationary sentence
The civil lawsuit follows the conclusion of the criminal case against Bollinger, who was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his relationship with the student identified in the complaint.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Bollinger, 57, of Neptune City, pleaded guilty to Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Rather than serving a state prison sentence, he was sentenced to Parole Supervision for Life and must comply with the requirements of Megan’s Law. He is also subject to Nicole’s Law, permanently prohibiting him from having any contact with the victim.
As part of his sentence, Bollinger was ordered to permanently surrender his New Jersey teaching certifications and is barred from holding future public employment in the state, ensuring he can no longer work in New Jersey’s public school system.
Prosecutors said the investigation determined that between February and August 2019, Bollinger, while employed as a teacher at the Ocean County Performing Arts Academy, engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a student in Point Pleasant Beach and Asbury Park.
Authorities arrested Bollinger without incident at his Neptune City home on Aug. 15, 2024. He was processed at the Ocean County Jail before being released under New Jersey’s bail reform law while the criminal case proceeded.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged that evidentiary issues affected the outcome of the prosecution but said the resolution was supported by the victim.
“Issues in the course of this investigation created challenges in the State’s ability to prove more serious charges against this defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. The victim is cognizant of those issues, and is in support of this resolution,” Billhimer said.
The prosecutor said ensuring Bollinger could never again teach or supervise students was a key component of the plea agreement.
“As part of the resolution in this case, the defendant has been ordered to permanently forfeit his teaching license. Given the nature of the allegations, it was imperative to ensure that Bollinger will never again be in a position of supervisory authority over students,” Billhimer said.
Former Ocean County Commissioner Virginia Haines, who served as liaison to the OCVTS school during some of that period, has not commented on the matter.
Complaint alleges school became “safe haven” for predators
The 54-page complaint opens with unusually sweeping allegations against the institution itself.
“This matter stems from decades of profound institutional betrayal, systematic administrative corruption, enabling, promoting, conspiring and permitting a purported educational institution to transform into a sanctuary and safe haven for grotesque child sexual abuse predators masquerading as teachers,” the lawsuit states.
It further alleges that what was promoted as one of New Jersey’s premier performing arts high schools instead became “a breeding ground for predatory ‘teachers’ to prey on innocent, unsuspecting, vulnerable and impressionable minor children.”
According to the complaint, administrators “knowingly turned school buildings into predatory hunting grounds by choosing to shield known sexual predators, suppress student outcries and wage campaigns of relentless retaliation against whistleblowing staff and students.”
The lawsuit alleges school leaders “prioritized the reputational preservation of their performing arts fiefdom” instead of protecting children entrusted to their care.
What is The Grunin Performing Arts Academy
The Grunin Performing Arts Academy (GPAA) is a four-year public high school in Ocean County, New Jersey, designed for students gifted in the performing arts and the technical aspects of production. Part of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School (OCVTS) district, it offers a rigorous academic curriculum focused on both artistic training and college preparation.
Plaintiff alleges years of grooming and sexual abuse
The complaint alleges A.S. entered the academy in 2016 at age 14 and was groomed over several years by Bollinger, who taught acting and later film.
According to the lawsuit, Bollinger allegedly cultivated what he portrayed as a mentor relationship by giving favored female students gifts, scheduling private meetings, sharing personal stories, and placing students “on a pedestal” before escalating to physical contact.
The complaint alleges the abuse began during the student’s junior year and continued through her senior year, both on school grounds and during summer meetings away from campus. The filing contains graphic allegations of repeated sexual assaults and sexual penetration inside classrooms, prop rooms, dressing areas, and other locations at the academy.
| Ten Claims Made in the OCVTS Lawsuit The lawsuit alleges the Performing Arts Academy operated for more than 20 years as a “sanctuary and safe haven” for child sexual predators, with administrators allegedly allowing a culture where teachers preyed on students. The complaint claims administrators, including then-Principal and later Superintendent Karen Homiek, knowingly protected teachers accused of sexual misconduct instead of reporting them to law enforcement or child protection authorities. The plaintiff alleges multiple teachers engaged in inappropriate relationships with students over the years, arguing Douglas Bollinger “did not act in isolation” but benefited from a longstanding culture that tolerated misconduct. The lawsuit claims a teacher reported being sexually assaulted by a senior administrator in 2005, but alleges Homiek dismissed the report by saying, “he wouldn’t do that,” failed to investigate, and the reporting teacher was eventually forced to resign. The complaint alleges administrators ignored an admission by former teacher Zachary Slater that he had sexually abused students, returning him to the classroom instead of notifying authorities. It further claims a guidance counselor later wrote a sentencing letter stating, “The only thing Zach (Slater) is guilty of is falling in love with a girl, and she with him.” The lawsuit alleges at least seven students and multiple parents reported another teacher’s inappropriate relationship with a student, but instead of investigating the teacher, school officials allegedly suspended or disciplined the students who reported it under the school’s anti-bullying policy. The complaint claims that after the student graduated, the teacher allegedly married the former student and continues to teach at the academy, despite years of complaints and reports described in the lawsuit. The plaintiff alleges Principal Homiek personally walked into Bollinger’s classroom while he was allegedly sexually abusing the student, escorted the student out of the room, but asked no questions, conducted no investigation, and took no disciplinary action. The lawsuit alleges administrators ordered staff members to “keep [their] mouth shut” and warned they would “go down with the ship” if they continued raising concerns, describing what the plaintiff characterizes as an institutional effort to suppress reports of abuse. The complaint alleges the school intentionally created or allowed an environment with virtually no meaningful safeguards, including unsupervised access between teachers and students, private rehearsals, isolated dressing rooms and prop closets, off-campus trips, gift-giving, and blurred professional boundaries that allegedly enabled years of grooming and abuse. |
The lawsuit alleges Bollinger repeatedly warned the student not to tell anyone, allegedly saying, “We could have so much fun being together, but we need to be smart about this… you can’t tell anyone.”
The complaint also alleges Bollinger manipulated the student by telling her that if anyone learned about the relationship, “your entire family would hate you” and she would be blamed for what occurred.
Lawsuit claims administrators ignored repeated warnings
One of the most significant aspects of the complaint is its allegation that numerous warning signs involving multiple teachers stretched back more than 20 years.
According to the lawsuit, a teacher reported being sexually assaulted by an administrator in 2005 but claims then-Principal Karen Homiek dismissed the allegation, allegedly responding, “he wouldn’t do that.” The complaint says the reporting teacher ultimately resigned after feeling ostracized.
The lawsuit also references the criminal case involving former teacher Zachary Slater, alleging school officials received reports about inappropriate conduct years before criminal charges were filed.
According to the complaint, another teacher allegedly reported Slater’s admissions of abusing students directly to Homiek. Rather than notifying law enforcement or child protection authorities, the lawsuit alleges Slater was returned to the classroom.
The complaint quotes a letter allegedly submitted to the sentencing judge by a school guidance counselor after Slater’s conviction that stated, “The only thing Zach (Slater) is guilty of is falling in love with a girl, and she with him.”
Students allegedly punished for reporting concerns
The lawsuit also describes another alleged teacher-student relationship that multiple students and parents reportedly brought to administrators’ attention.
According to the complaint, at least seven students reported concerns about the relationship over approximately a year.
Rather than investigating the teacher, the lawsuit alleges administrators disciplined several of the students under the school’s Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying policy for allegedly “bullying” the student involved in the relationship.
The complaint further alleges the teacher later married the former student after graduation and remains employed by the school. Those allegations remain part of the civil complaint and have not been adjudicated.
Complaint alleges culture of retaliation
The lawsuit repeatedly alleges employees who attempted to report misconduct faced retaliation.
According to the filing, staff members were allegedly told to “keep your mouth shut” and warned they would “go down with the ship” if they continued raising concerns about inappropriate teacher behavior.
The complaint also alleges administrators discouraged documentation of inappropriate conduct and failed to fulfill mandatory reporting obligations under New Jersey law despite repeated complaints from students, parents, and faculty members.
Criminal investigation led to guilty plea
Unlike many institutional abuse lawsuits, this case follows a criminal prosecution.
According to the complaint, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation after A.S. reported the alleged abuse in 2022. Investigators conducted multiple recorded meetings between the plaintiff and Bollinger.
The lawsuit alleges Bollinger wrote, “I can’t talk about high school out loud,” during one monitored meeting. During another recorded conversation, the complaint says he admitted fearing criminal prosecution, stating, “What could happen to me is not immature… I could lose my house.”
The complaint states Bollinger was arrested in 2024 and later pleaded guilty to Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Criminal Sexual Contact arising from the abuse of A.S.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and other relief under New Jersey’s Child Sexual Abuse Act, along with claims including negligence, negligent supervision, institutional liability, assault, battery, emotional distress, and violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
The defendants have not yet filed responses to the newly filed complaint. As with all civil litigation, the allegations represent the plaintiff’s claims, and the defendants are entitled to contest them in court.
Sources
- Ocean County Superior Court complaint, Docket No. L-002319-26
- Russo Law Offices court filing
- Ocean County Superior Court records
- Prior whistleblower lawsuit filed in June
FAQ
- Who filed the lawsuit?
- A former student identified only as A.S. under New Jersey law protecting the identities of alleged child sexual abuse victims.
- Who is being sued?
- Douglas Bollinger, the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Board of Education, the Performing Arts Academy, former Superintendent Karen Homiek, and unnamed defendants.
- Does the lawsuit involve criminal convictions?
- Yes. The complaint states Bollinger pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the abuse allegations involving A.S.
- Has the school responded?
- Court records indicate the complaint was recently filed. Defendants have the opportunity to respond through the legal process.
- How is this connected to the June lawsuit?
- The complaint follows a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former instructor alleging retaliation after reporting concerns, though the cases involve different plaintiffs and legal claims.
Key Points
- A new lawsuit alleges more than two decades of abuse, retaliation, and institutional cover-ups at Ocean County’s Performing Arts Academy.
- The filing follows a June whistleblower lawsuit and accuses school officials of ignoring repeated complaints while protecting employees.
- The allegations have not been proven in court, and the defendants will have the opportunity to respond through the judicial process.
New Jersey, Ocean County, Toms River, Ocean County Vocational Technical School, Performing Arts Academy, Grunin Performing Arts Academy, child sexual abuse, lawsuit, education, schools, court, crime, Douglas Bollinger
