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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Student Says College President ‘Struck’ Her

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CN) - A black student claims the president of the Anthem Institute "struck" her after she complained of a racist instructor in its medical assistant program, and that three days later she was "summarily dismissed" from the school.

Priscilla Hatch and another student, Anise Norman, sued the Anthem Education Group & Anthem Institute - North Brunswick in Middlesex County Court. They allege consumer fraud, discrimination, breach of contract and civil rights violations.

They claim that African-American students were not given student ID cards at all or had to wait up to 9 months for them, "while white students received student ID cards within one (1) week."

They claim that a nursing instructor, (nonparty) Naomi Otero, "established a de facto system where only white students would draw blood from white students, and only African American students would draw blood from African American students."

They claim Otero harassed black students in other, petty ways, including complaining "that the 'Afternoon session is too ghetto.'" They say the afternoon session had "a significantly higher number of African-American students and other students of color than the morning session."

Hatch says she complaint of Otero's "racially discriminating conduct and use of segregation in the classroom" to the school president, (nonparty) Maria Veglia, and to another administrator, on Feb. 4.

Three says later, Hatch says, she "was summarily dismissed from the Anthem Institute - North Brunswick after being struck by the president of the Anthem Institute - North Brunswick, Maria Veglia."

Norman says she was dismissed from Anthem in November 2010.

Both say their tuition was not refunded.

They seek compensatory and punitive damages.

They are represented by Kevin Flood, with The Law Office of Jordan B. Rickards, of Milltown, N.J.

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