No evidence supporting former Hartford school employee claim: independent probe

An independent investigation by the City of Hartford found there is no evidence the superintendent of schools asked an employee for a favor, even though the now-former employee said it’s what caused her to be fired.

The former employee, Janet Serrano, worked in human resources.

Serrano spoke at the school board meeting in February about an alleged favor the superintendent asked for.

But Serrano never said what it was.

Serrano said she believes she was fired for failing to tell district administrators what the favor was, when they asked.

The school board got a City of Hartford attorney to investigate. She concluded there was no evidence to support what Serrano said.

The school board president said at last month’s meeting, she also reached out to Serrano.

Here is school board President Jennifer Hockenhull’s full statement:

“On February 18, 2025, a former employee of the Hartford Public Schools made statements to the Board during Public Comment that suggested that Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez engaged in some unspecified inappropriate action. The Hartford Board of Education values the integrity of all of its employees, including of course its Superintendent. Moreover, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez immediately asked that these vague allegations be investigated so that her name can be cleared.

On behalf of the Board, I reached out to Assistant Corporation Counsel Lori Mizerak and asked her to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations made by this former employee. Given that the former employee provided no facts to substantiate her suggestion that Dr. Torres-Rodriguez had engaged in some sort of wronging, on behalf of the Board, I also reached out directly to the former employee by email to ask whether she could provide any specific information to support her allegations. The former employee responded to my email, but she did not provide any specific, actionable information to support a claim that Dr. Torres-Rodriguez engaged in wrongdoing of any type.

Moreover, through her independent review, Attorney Mizerak reached the following conclusions: In summary, I find that there is no evidence to support the claims that Ms. Serrano made during the February 18, 2025 BOE meeting that the Superintendent asked her for a favor, and asked her to keep a secret about this favor, or anything else. I further find that there is no evidence to support Ms. Serrano’s claim that any alleged conversation or meeting that she had with the Superintendent, in any way, factored into or formed the basis of the district’s decision to terminate her. Finally, I find that there is no evidence to support Ms. Serrano’s claim that the district refused to allow her to resign in lieu of termination. In light of this, it is my recommendation that the BOE close out this matter. Given the foregoing, I do not see the need for any further action by the Board, and I appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight.”

The investigation by the city attorney said Serrano was fired in January by the school district for threats, intimidation and insubordination at work.

Serrano said she fought her firing to the end and has still been trying to get emails and other documents that will prove what her conversation was with the superintendent.

Here is a statement from former Hartford Public Schools employee Janet Serrano:

“I reported that I was being harassed and bullied to various members in the Central Office by Chiefs. At first, I was ignored, and then I was told to document everything. They needed months of documentation, so that is what I handed in, almost 15 pages. There is nothing in my file reporting that I EVER harassed anyone. I am requesting an FOIA on who I officially harassed when I was investigated by whom and why. I am also requesting as to when the harassment was placed, specifically the date it was placed. Otherwise, it is hearsay not official.

There are many types of harassment and harassment works in many ways. As I stated in February 2025, I worked for Hartford Public Schools for 23 years. I had perfect evaluations, all 5s, great attendance,  and then went out on leave returning in October. From October 2024 through November 2024, less than 5 weeks, they found "so much evidence " to terminate me. In 23 years, I didn't do anything wrong, but in 1 month, without a warning, without a chance, I was just TERMINATED. Think about that for just a second. Is that how you treat a 23 year veteran? Is that how I would have wanted to end my career after 23 years, let it all end in 1 month, never. The people want to know what really happened. Justice for Janet.” 

Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said she was pleased, but not surprised that a review concluded the allegations were without merit.

Here is a statement from Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez:

“I appreciate that the Hartford Board of Education took seriously the concerns that were raised, and I thank the Board for conducting an independent review at my request. I am pleased, but not surprised, that the independent review concluded that the allegations were totally without merit.

As the Superintendent and CEO [of] Hartford Public Schools, I have always acted with transparency and the utmost integrity in my actions on behalf of the Board and community, and indeed the investigation confirmed that there was no basis for the claims that were made. Such unfounded allegations are unfortunate because they can be damaging to the trust that we work so hard to build with our students, families, educators, and community.

Given that this matter is closed, let us now return our full attention to what matters most: supporting our students, strengthening our schools, and having a strong finish to the school year.”