OCEAN COUNTY – They were both 17-year-old students hoping for careers in the performing arts when, they allege, a teacher used his authority to sexually abuse them. The two Ocean County Vocational Technical School Performing Arts Academy graduates have also accused the school of serving as a “breeding ground for predatory ‘teachers’ to prey on innocent, unsuspecting, vulnerable and impressionable minor children.”
The academy operated at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst until January 2020, when it moved to Ocean County College and became known as the Grunin Performing Arts Academy.
The women, identified in court documents only as A.S. and R.T., filed separate lawsuits against convicted former acting teacher Douglas J. Bollinger, the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Board of Education, its Performing Arts Academy and former Superintendent Karen Homiek.
One alleges a principal entered Bollinger’s classroom during a sexual encounter but returned her to class without asking what happened. The other claims Bollinger repeatedly raped her during a school-approved internship while administrators focused on keeping the relationship from becoming widely discussed.
The lawsuits accuse the district of normalizing inappropriate teacher-student relationships and ignoring, silencing or punishing those who raised concerns. They claim warnings about sexual misconduct date to at least 2005.
A.S. filed her complaint August 4 in Superior Court in Ocean County. R.T. filed a related case August 12. Jeffrey M. Russo and Brad M. Russo of Russo Law Offices in Phillipsburg represent both women.
The allegations have not been proven in court. The complaints are so new that the defendants have not yet filed formal answers responding to the allegations.
Both women seek damages and have requested jury trials.
Principal Allegedly Walked In
A.S. entered the academy as a 14-year-old freshman in 2016. Bollinger taught her acting for three years and film during her senior year.
The lawsuit alleges Bollinger gradually broke down boundaries by sharing personal information, giving favored female students gifts and arranging private conversations. He also controlled roles and extracurricular opportunities important to aspiring performers.
A.S. was 17 when she claims the physical contact began in February 2019. Following a school event at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, Bollinger allegedly told her, “I can’t stop thinking about you,” while warning her not to tell anyone.
The complaint alleges Bollinger sexually assaulted her approximately 10 times inside the school between February and June 2019 and about eight more times during the fall.
During one encounter, A.S. claims Bollinger had his hand beneath her skirt when the principal entered. Bollinger stopped, and the principal placed an arm around A.S. and escorted her back to class without asking what happened, checking on her welfare or initiating an investigation, according to the complaint.
The complaint also claims counselors questioned eight students about a teacher who made them uncomfortable but administrators did not increase supervision or restrict Bollinger’s access to students.
In 2022, A.S. contacted law enforcement and participated in recorded conversations with Bollinger. During one meeting, he allegedly typed on his phone, “I can’t talk about high school out loud.”
When A.S. later confronted him with details of the alleged abuse, Bollinger responded that “it all does make sense” but he would be more comfortable discussing it in person, the complaint states.
A.S.’s complaint says her 2022 report led to Bollinger’s arrest and guilty plea to endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced in February 2025 to parole supervision for life, required to comply with Megan’s Law and permanently barred from public employment or holding a New Jersey teaching certificate.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said at sentencing that challenges in the investigation made it difficult to prove more serious charges beyond a reasonable doubt. He said the victim understood those issues and supported the resolution.
Internship Allegedly Became Abusive
R.T. entered the academy as a 14-year-old freshman in 2013. Bollinger taught her acting during her junior and senior years.
Her complaint alleges he hosted private lunches with her and gained greater control after agreeing to supervise an internship she needed to graduate. The arrangement placed him “squarely in charge” of her grades, roles, internship and future, the lawsuit states.
R.T. was 17 when Bollinger allegedly began kissing and groping her at school in September 2016. She claims the conduct escalated to repeated sexual assaults, including forced oral sex, vaginal penetration and anal penetration.
“Not a single day of the plaintiff’s ‘internship’ was without a forced sexual act or acts,” the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit alleges abuse also occurred at Bollinger’s home and bicycle shop in Point Pleasant Beach. In one instance, R.T. claims he directed her to tell her parents she was caring for his dog while he was away. They allegedly exchanged fabricated emails to support the story, but Bollinger remained at the house.
The complaint claims Homiek, then the academy’s principal, discussed Bollinger’s relationship with the student but focused on preventing it from becoming widely known. The result, it alleges, was “simply that Bollinger had to try not to make the relationship so obvious.”
R.T. did not attend college or pursue the acting career she had envisioned, a decision the complaint attributes to her fear of Bollinger’s connections to the schools she was considering.
Alleged Warning Signs Date To 2005
According to both lawsuits, an unidentified newly hired vocal teacher reported being sexually assaulted by an unidentified influential academy administrator during a school trip in 2005. The teacher allegedly reported the incident to Homiek, then the building principal, and a guidance counselor.
Rather than investigating or contacting law enforcement, Homiek allegedly responded, “He wouldn’t do that.” The complaints claim the teacher was ostracized and ultimately resigned while the administrator remained employed.
The lawsuits also describe another teacher’s alleged relationship with a student as widely known. At least seven students and several parents reported concerns, according to the complaints, but administrators allegedly disciplined some students under the school’s anti-bullying policies. The teacher and former student later married.
The complaints also cite former academy teacher Zachary Slater, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to endangering the welfare of a child. They allege another teacher previously reported Slater’s admission of sexual relationships with students to Homiek, but he was permitted to return to the classroom.
The women cite the episodes as evidence administrators received warnings about sexual misconduct for years before and during Bollinger’s employment.
Outside Investigation Sought
Ocean County Commissioner Director Frank Sadeghi called the allegations “egregious” and said he plans to ask the vocational school board to hire an independent investigator.
“This is young people’s lives and their psyche and their mindset going forward, and to have these predators in a setting like that, where it’s an educational setting, is really upsetting,” Sadeghi said.
The county commissioners appoint vocational school board members but do not manage district operations. Sadeghi wants an experienced investigator, preferably from outside Ocean County, to interview people who worked at or attended the academy.
The investigation should determine “was there in fact a culture of abuse, or is it just one teacher, one person?” he said.
