Sexual harassment allegations against Riverside County school administrator Bruce Dennis – Press Enterprise

Sandra Martinez Ortiz, an employee of the Riverside County Office of Education, filed a lawsuit today against Board Trustee Bruce Dennis, alleging that Dennis sexually harassed her for the past 13 years. (Photo by Jordan Darling, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

An employee of the Riverside County Office of Education has filed a lawsuit against county school board member Bruce Dennis, alleging 13 years of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

Sandra Martinez Ortiz, who has worked for the county school board for 28 years, and her attorneys alleged during a press conference on Wednesday, June 19, that Dennis Ortiz sexually harassed her, discriminated against her based on her gender, and retaliated against her for addressing his behavior and denying his business expenses.

“We’re not talking about bad moments, we all have those,” Ortiz said at the event in downtown Riverside. “… This case is about 13 years of the same harassing behavior.”

Ortiz claimed that Dennis harassed her because he did not approve business expenses that she believed were inappropriate or violated the Riverside County Board of Education’s charter.

Dennis, a board member of Trustee Area 4, denied the allegations on Wednesday, saying they were based on a personal issue between him and Ortiz.

“There was no harassment,” said Dennis, who represents the Hemet, Menifee Union, Nuview Union, Perris and Perris Union and Romoland school districts. “That’s a personality difference between her and me.”

He said there was no physical contact between him and Ortiz and that they argued about spending. The CEO ultimately makes decisions about spending, he said.

“I think she’s mad at me because we had an argument about expenses,” Dennis said. “And the CEO makes those expenses decisions. Her role is to process paperwork, not to decide whether business expenses are appropriate.”

Ortiz claimed that Dennis followed not only her but all the women in the office, invading their privacy, making inappropriate comments about her appearance, and bumping into her or elbowing her to get attention.

“If I can smell his breath, he’s too close,” Ortiz said.

A claim is the precursor to a possible lawsuit and if it is rejected by an authority, a person can file a lawsuit.

The lawsuit also names Dennis, school board chairman Ray “Coach” Curtis and the Riverside County School Board. The lawsuit alleges that Curtis retaliated against Ortiz, telling her to “remove herself from the situation” after she complained about Dennis and his behavior toward her, Ortiz said.

“He (Curtis) told others that I had mental health issues and he tried to make it seem like I was responsible for all of this,” Ortiz said.

An investigation by an outside law firm was completed on May 30. The 55-page investigation names 18 witnesses who support Ortiz’s claims, said Denisse Gastelum, an attorney representing Ortiz.

“The superintendents looked the other way,” Gastélum said. “We are pleased to say that the results of this investigation have confirmed every single alleged harassment.”

Dennis, who served on the Nuview school board from 1995 to 2008, said the investigation was launched after he forwarded an email from Ortiz to the office of Riverside County Superintendent Edwin Gomez.

“In the email, she claimed that I yelled at her after the board meeting in April, bullied her and lied about her to other board members,” Dennis said.