Former Pawtucket Superintendent Files Amended Lawsuit

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The Pawtucket school board meeting highlights the ongoing tensions in the district's leadership.

News Summary

Patricia Royal, the former Pawtucket school superintendent, has filed an amended federal lawsuit against city and school officials, alleging wrongful termination and discrimination based on race and gender. Royal claims she faced racism and was denied medical leave during her tenure. The lawsuit demands unspecified damages related to lost income and contract damages. City officials have denied Royal’s allegations and described them as dubious. The ongoing case highlights issues of discrimination and tensions within the Pawtucket school district.

Pawtucket – Patricia Royal, the former school superintendent of Pawtucket, has filed an amended federal lawsuit against both city and school officials, alleging wrongful termination following her resignation in mid-June. This action comes three months after her leave of absence and over two months following the submission of her original lawsuit.

In her amended lawsuit, Royal claims she was “unlawfully removed” from her position and asserts that she faced racist comments during her less than two-year tenure as superintendent. The newly submitted complaint includes additional allegations of racial and gender discrimination against city officials, indicating a systemic pattern of discrimination targeting African American individuals.

Royal contends that her termination was influenced by her gender. She also alleges that city officials neglected to accommodate her disability by not extending her medical leave. In February, an acting superintendent was appointed without any public explanation for Royal’s absence.

Initially, Royal was on medical leave due to a procedure, but she later extended her leave because of work-related anxiety. In her accusations, Royal claims that she was “set up to fail” as Pawtucket’s first African American female superintendent. She accuses city officials of undermining, sabotaging, defaming, and abusing her during her time in office.

The lawsuit recites instances of racist remarks made by a member of the school committee and expresses concern over hostility demonstrated by a school department administrator towards her and her minority staff members. In response to these allegations, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and members of the school committee have publicly denied the claims, asserting that the city “vigorously disagrees” with Royal’s assertions. The school committee has characterized her allegations as “dubious” and has voiced their intention to defend themselves against claims that misrepresent their integrity.

In her resignation letter, Royal articulated feelings of unwelcome within the school committee and deemed her removal “shocking and astonishing.” Following her departure, Randy Buck was appointed as the interim superintendent by the Pawtucket School Committee.

Royal initially filed her original lawsuit in March 2025, claiming various infractions by city officials, which included defamation, retaliation, and causing emotional distress. Her tenure, which commenced in July 2023, was allegedly plagued by incidents of racism and hostility, ultimately leading her to take medical leave. She asserted that she had been forewarned about expecting discriminatory behavior due to the racial dynamics prevalent in Pawtucket.

The lawsuit makes allegations that Mayor Grebien and others withheld a sum of approximately $3.2 million in school funding, which was only restored after Royal raised the issue. This action is considered by Royal to be retaliatory, designed to punish her for whistleblowing on the financial misconduct.

The amended lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, which are expected to encompass compensation for lost income, contract damages, and other expenses caused by her dismissal. Royal has also recognized that ongoing tensions among city leaders served as distractions from the educational improvements she aimed to implement in the Pawtucket school district.

The filing intends to incorporate claims of racial and gender discrimination, pending reviews by the appropriate human rights commissions. As this legal matter unfolds, the implications of the allegations could have far-reaching effects on the administration of the Pawtucket school district and its functioning in the community.