Pemberton schools paid $125K to settle latest pregnancy discrimination lawsuit

Pemberton Township Schools has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by a former middle school teacher, the latest and largest of three similar settlements since 2022, totaling $218,000, according to court records obtained by watchdog John Paff of Transparency NJ.

The August 2025 settlement resolves claims brought by Jaclyn Travers, a former English Language Arts teacher at Helen A. Fort Middle School, who alleged her contract was not renewed after she became pregnant during the 2023-24 school year despite receiving an “Effective” performance rating.

According to her 2024 lawsuit, Travers claimed school administrators cited vague “district standards” for the nonrenewal but failed to identify specific deficiencies and instead pressured her to resign.

She further alleged that the true reason was her pregnancy and the anticipated cost of maternity leave.

Under the agreement, $87,688 was paid directly to Travers and $37,312 to her attorneys.

The case follows two earlier lawsuits filed against the district that also alleged pregnancy-related discrimination.

In one case, former teachers Katie Bopf and Colleen King alleged they were terminated in 2020 shortly after informing school administrators of their pregnancies or taking maternity leave.

That case settled in late 2022 for $65,000.

A second lawsuit filed by Jenna Root alleged she was terminated in 2021 after informing administrators that she was pregnant.

That case settled in March 2023 for $28,000.

Taken together, the three settlements total $218,000.

All three lawsuits were filed under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and alleged that pregnancy was a determining or motivating factor in adverse employment decisions.

The settlement agreements each included confidentiality clauses, though such agreements involving public entities remain accessible under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.