Atlantic City Teacher Wins $183,000 in Whistleblower Case

Atlantic City, NJ — A fired Atlantic City teacher, after nearly a decade of legal battles, has won a courtroom victory and was awarded $183,410. Phillip Eisenstein sued the district under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, claiming retaliation after he raised concerns about how an incident involving a student was handled. A jury in Atlantic County Civil Court sided with Eisenstein, granting him lost wages and $100,000 for emotional distress. However, no punitive damages were awarded. Eisenstein, who worked at New York Avenue School, was fired in February 2016 after questioning the handling of an incident involving a student who had threatened to bring a gun to school. The teacher’s whistleblowing led to his firing after he raised concerns about student safety. The case dates back to October 2015, when Eisenstein reported a threatening incident involving a student named K.D. He informed the principal, James Knox, but the student was allowed to return to school the next day, which Eisenstein believed was a violation of safety policy. He was fired after attempting to intervene during another student altercation in gym class, which led to the “excessive force” charge. After two trials and an appeal, an appellate panel found Eisenstein had identified a public safety mandate violated by the district’s actions. The case was re-tried in 2025, with the jury ruling in Eisenstein’s favor.