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By: Hal C. Clarke
Reneto Serra, a veteran food inspector with the New York City Department of Education (DOE), claims that he has faced retaliation that has severely impacted his career and reputation, the NY Post reported.
Serra, alleges that he was abruptly sidelined and stripped of his duties in the DOE’s School Food division after he leaked photos of contaminated lunches to the media in October 2016.
The leaked photos revealed chicken tenders containing plastic, bones, and metal, raising serious concerns about the safety of the food served to public school children.
Serra, who has been working in the division for over two decades, stated that he initially approached his superiors in early 2015 to raise concerns about improper purchasing practices and numerous complaints of moldy pizza and tainted chicken fingers being served in city schools. He urged his bosses to halt the food supply, which was contracted to outside companies like Somma Foods based in Texas, until an independent investigation could be conducted. However, Serra claims that his concerns were ignored, and he was told that it was not his decision to make.
Fearful of potential repercussions, Serra chose not to file a formal complaint with the school district’s Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) at the time, as he had heard that such cases often ended up being referred back to the DOE for internal investigation. In 2015, former NYPD sergeant and DOE food vendor Pat Russo anonymously reached out to the SCI on Serra’s behalf, but the case was not pursued since Serra refused to disclose his identity.
Growing concerned about the safety of the students, Serra decided to expose the issue publicly by leaking photos of the tainted food in October 2016. As a result, an investigator from the DOE’s Office of Pupil Transportation was assigned to identify the source of the leaks. Serra claims that from that day onward, he faced a series of retaliatory actions that continue to this day.
Serra claims he has had no job responsibilities for the past seven years, despite retaining his job title and salary as a food inspector. He alleges that he has been subjected to hostile working conditions and has been isolated, given no work to do, and confined to a corner of the office. Serra believes that this treatment constitutes retaliation for his whistleblowing. Furthermore, he accused his superiors of encouraging coworkers to file multiple workplace complaints against him, including allegations of stealing time and sexual harassment. While the sexual harassment claim was substantiated by the DOE’s Office of Special Investigations, the other complaints were found to be unsubstantiated.
In response to the harassment allegations, Serra approached the SCI in March 2017 to investigate the alleged retaliation against him. However, the SCI declined the case, stating that Serra did not meet the criteria for whistleblower status since he had only made an official complaint to the watchdog after he had already been sidelined. The SCI also considered the sexual harassment claim as a plausible alternative explanation for his reassignment.
Serra vehemently denies the sexual harassment allegations and claims that he was not given the opportunity to respond or be interviewed before the determination was made.
