By Stephanie Loder
When a local chapter of the non-profit group ‘Bags Against Bullies’ was launched three years ago in the Egg Harbor Township School District, it was greeted with praise, the organizer said.
“The outpouring was amazing,” said organizer Dominic Pugliese, a township resident and soccer coach.
Pugliese and wife, Andrea, organized the local chapter of the group to support schools in spreading kindness among students and bringing awareness and understanding of the impacts of bullying through empathy education.
But earlier this year, Pugliese said he came under fire from school district officials and Bags Against Bullies is no longer supported by the township school district.
Pugliese said he also is facing a harassment charge filed against him by a member of the township school board, Patrick Ireland.
Kimberly Gruccio, superintendent of schools for the district, did not return a request for comment.
At the end of 2022, two township elementary schools participated in Two Weeks of Kindness, an initiative introduced by the Puglieses. They provided drawstring backpacks, drawstrings and bracelets with positive messages.
Pugliese said they were so successful that the school district assistant superintendent George West asked them to add two more schools to participate in their anti-bullying program.
In February, Pugliese said he started getting tagged on social media by parents from Linwood and Galloway and Egg Harbor Township who expressed concerns about bullying in their school districts.
“So, I made a post on our Facebook page and said ‘Hey, we are going to be at Barista’s Coffee House in Linwood and if anyone wanted to come talk, we would listen,” Pugliese said.
Pugliese said West, the school district’s anti-bullying coordinator, questioned him about the meeting with the parents at the coffee shop.
“Because we offered to talk to parents about their bullying concerns, we were told by our district’s antibullying coordinator and assistant superintendent that we couldn’t be trusted,” Pugliese said.
“Honestly, we wouldn’t be here at this point if Mr. West didn’t attack us. All it did was raise red flags,” he said.
Then came the attacks on social media from an anonymous Facebook page, Pugliese said.
“We were attacked and ridiculed by a fake Facebook profile that has been tied to the school board,” Pugliese said.
The Bags Against Bullies partnership with the schools ended Feb. 29, he said.
Pugliese met with Gruccio on May 7, and the harassment complaint was filed at the township police department the same day – but not signed until August 2. Pugliese said he has retained an attorney to have the accusation dismissed.
He said he is still available to meet with parents to discuss bullying.
“We wanted to give people an outlet to talk,” Pugliese said of the coffee shop meeting. “One time we went no one came. The next meeting, five people came.”
Pugliese said he would like to see the school district’s administration held accountable for their actions.
“We started off with a great cause,” said Pugliese, who previously had received letters of praise signed by teachers and from West.
“Ultimately we were trying to make an effort to curb bullying or make kids realize your actions have an impact on other people,” Pugliese said.
He claims the school district is avoiding him and trying to intimidate him.
“They’re actively avoiding me and the issue. They do the same thing every time. They attack and intimidate people,” he said. “It’s really disappointing. People are afraid of retaliation, so they’re not going to stand up for themselves.
