Manassas Park teacher tells board he faced harassment, asks for contract release

Sam Bergeron, an adapted-curriculum teacher at Manassas Park Middle School, addressed the school board during public comment Aug. 1, alleging ongoing harassment at work since he married in January 2021 and saying the situation has harmed his mental health and ability to serve students. "I've been harassed in my workplace ever since to the point when it's no longer a safe working environment," Bergeron said.

Bergeron said he requested a hostile-work investigation that did not begin until weeks after his request and remained open at the time of his remarks. He told the board Superintendent Dr. Saunders had refused to place the matter on a board agenda and that he felt undervalued, describing himself as "degraded, humiliated, and destroyed" by the experience.

Bergeron asked the board to provide a letter that would release him from his contract should he choose to resign, saying that step would allow him to continue his teaching career elsewhere and prioritize his mental health. The transcript records no board response or staff answer to Bergeron's specific request during the public-comment period.

The transcript includes inconsistent spellings of the speaker’s surname in different segments; the speaker introduced himself as Sam (surname spelled variously in the record).