Nanuet High School's longtime principal has been permanently reassigned after a teacher accused him of rape, years of sexual harassment and retaliation for rebuffing his advances.

Vincent Carella, 64, was removed Friday by the school board from the position he's held for 18 years following the allegations by the teacher contained in a $1 million notice of claim against the district.

Carella, 64, has denied the allegations made in the teacher's claim and said there were never any criminal charges filed against him. The teacher's lawyer did not know whether she had sought charges.

The 50-year-old teacher alleges Carella harassed her repeatedly beginning around 2003, requesting sexual favors and attempting to have sex with her on school property.

The Journal News is withholding the woman's name because of the nature of the allegations.

Carella, of Nanuet, sought sex in return for giving the teacher preferential treatment including new furniture and a favorable schedule, papers claim.

NANUET: High school named Blue Ribbon school

The first time Carella had physical contact with her was in her classroom, when he sat on a table, spread his legs, pulled her close and gave her a strong hug, according to the papers.

Carella, according to the claim, sent her intimate messages on his school email account and kissed her in his office and in the art room. She feared recrimination if she turned him down.

Both were married during the period in question.

In 2004, the teacher reluctantly went to a hotel with Carella, who promised he would not have sex with her. But once there he raped and had oral sex with her, according to the notice of claim.

She "left the hotel crying and felt spiritually broken," according to papers dated Oct. 26.

The notice of claim does not say where the incident took place.

Carella said during a phone call that "There was a consensual affair 13 years ago between (the teacher) and me," he said. "Any allegation of rape or sexual harassment is utterly untrue."

According to the teacher, Carella's advances continued even after she became pregnant with her first child and had morning sickness.

The woman alleges she was appointed department chair in 2013 upon Carella's recommendation, but subsequently had the position taken away — just one week after confronting him and insisting he stop harassing her, according to documents.

The claim states School Superintendent Mark McNeill didn't give her specific reasons for losing the chair, and when she told him she had been sexually harassed by unnamed superiors, he replied that the two things were not connected.

Following her meeting with McNeill and a female school board member, the teacher states the district sent a "warning notice" to male administrators to signal she had made a harassment claim.

Her treatment by Carella and other administrators and staff significantly worsened afterward, including larger classes and excessive scrutiny, she alleges in the documents. She also was transferred to the middle school.

Carella on Friday was reassigned to coordinator of high school administrative services, a position located in an adjacent building outside the 700-student high school. Director of Guidance Michael Mahoney has been named acting principal.

The legal papers also name the school district, McNeill, Athletic Director Frank Mazzuca, Middle School Principal Roger Guccione and Art Department Chair Mark Mitchell.

McNeill said Friday that he and the Board of Education believed Carella had lost the ability to lead the high school.

"His permanent reassignment, while disconcerting to some, will allow the school community to re-focus on learning and achievement," McNeill said.

McNeill on Friday sent an email to district families informing them that the legal claim had prompted the Board of Education, school administrators and him to take action and to share limited information.

"It should be noted that the allegations in the notice of claim are only allegations at this point," McNeill wrote. "The district conducted a full investigation which revealed that not all of the allegations are true. In fact, the district will dispute many of the allegations at the appropriate time."

The teacher's lawyer, Karen L. Zdanis, also informed the district in a letter that she plans to file hostile work environment, sexual harassment and discrimination charges against Nanuet with the state Division of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Rumors had been circulating around the high school over the last few days that the principal’s job was in jeopardy, students outside the school told The Journal News.

Then, on Friday, they were informed Carella had been reassigned and Mahoney would be serving as the interim.

“We didn’t know it was going to happen so soon and now he’s gone,” 15-year-old Joshua Rivera said of Carella's removal.

“Today was pretty weird,” said Rivera, a sophomore. “(Carella's) a good person, so this is shocking. It’s only my second year here, I thought he’d be here for a long time.”

Messages left for representatives of Nanuet High Schools Parent Teacher Association were not returned Friday afternoon.

The school has earned a host of accolades during Carella's tenure. Last year, Nanuet became the first high school in Rockland County to be named a National Blue Ribbon School for its overall academic performance.

The high school also has received accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and in 2012, it was named a "Reward School" by the state, a categorization given to high performing schools that have shown academic progress with all groups of students.

Staff writer Kimberly Redmond contributed to this article.

Twitter: @Bee_bob