The wife of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small is AC school district superintendent, LaQuetta Small. Both she and her husband have been accused of allegedly abusing their own daughter.
The Small’s young teen is a student at AC High where she allegedly reported the abuse to the ACHS principal.
Principal Mandy Days Chapman did not, by law, report that abuse. She’s now suspended.
Ventnor, a ‘sending district’ to ACHS now asking why AC school boss LaQuetta Small isn’t suspended as well?
Read letter from Ventnor to President of AC School Board, Shay Steele:
Dear Mr. Steele:
Ventnor, as a sending district to the Atlantic City High School, is extremely concerned by the inaction of you and the other members of the ACBOE concerning the criminal charges against both the high school principal and superintendent.
These criminal charges include allegations of child abuse by your superintendent.
The high school principal is also involved in allegedly failing to report same and engaging in what appears to be, at a minimum a dereliction of her ethical duties to the children of the district.
While we recognize that the high school principal has been put out on a leave of absence, which we believe to be paid, your board has met twice since the charges were filed back in April and you have done nothing in regard to the status of the superintendent.
The principal and superintendent are responsible for protecting our youth and the importance of the superintendent’s role is clearly recognized by the ACBOE’s own policy which states that, “The Board of Education vests the primary responsibility for the administration of this school district in a Superintendent of Schools and recognizes the appointment of a person to that office is one of the most important functions this Board can perform.”
The ACBOE’s allowance of the Superintendent to continue to administer Atlantic City schools at the highest level is of significant concern to the community of Ventnor who send their children to school there.
Our community sends both our students and millions of dollars each year to Atlantic City High School (ACHS) and have no representation on the Board of Education.
We have requested to be included on the Board, even as a non-voting member, but have been denied that ability.
We are asking that your board act appropriately and remind you of the statute detailing the Code of Ethics at 18A:12-22 which states, in pertinent part:
a. In our representative form of government it is essential that the conduct. ‘ of members of local boards of education and local school administrators hold the respect and confidence of the people.
These board members and administrators must avoid conduct which is in violation of their public trust or which creates a justifiable impression among the public that such trust is being violated.
b. To ensure and preserve public confidence, school board members and local school administrators should have the benefit ofspecific standards to guide their conduct and ofsome disciplinary mechanism to ensure the uniform maintenance of those standards among them.
The administration of the Atlantic City school district directly impacts Ventnor and other sending district’ students, specifically at the high school level, and the public confidence in these administrators is very low at this time.
We believe, the superintendent should not be allowed to continue in a leadership role with influence over our children while these charges are pending.
This is a liability to both Ventnor and other sending districts and someone must step in to have her removed, until this case is resolved.
We implore you to do the right thing by the students which you are sworn to serve.
This letter is being jointly signed by Ventnor City Mayor, Ventnor Board of Education and President.
We ask that the ACBOE take these matters seriously and act accordingly.
Do you really think AC really cares what Ventnor thinks!
If you do, then you have reality issues!
What a joke that she has not been suspended.
The Atlantic City High School Principle was charged and suspended.
And this superintendent was charged and not suspended?
There have been many cases where school employees have been suspended for far less charges pending the outcome of their charges.
Once their respective charges are dealt with, whether that be a guilty verdict, guilty plea, diversion program or dismissal.
Nevertheless, they were suspended.
One has to wonder what is so special or unique in this situation?
My guess is that she will be suspended in the near future as she should be.
Then she will have her “day in court” as they say and we will see what the outcome is.
Perhaps, her charges may be dismissed or she will enter a diversion program and, at that time, her suspension may be lifted and she could return to her position.
Time will tell but she should be suspended, especially given the serious nature of her charges.
Also, something to ponder…I do not know what her bail conditions were but I do believe that the Court had the discretion to include special conditions that she have no contact with the victim or even no contact with children, given the nature of the charges and her position.
Same old Atlantic City, same old Atlantic City…
LaQuetta Small: she hired her child molester relative along with being accused by her own daughter of abuse and we stand back and don’t protect the children because they are afraid of what? The woke-ness of today?
Ventnor wake up!
What world does AC live in where our elected officials wont/don’t stand up for the kids to protect them?
As a parent, who has sent his four (4) children through the Ventnor school system and the Atlantic City school system, attending the same myself, this is a very interesting topic.
Now, as a grandfather, I recall that Longport made a decision to send their high school students to Ocean City.
The distance from Jackson Ave, Ventnor to 28th St, Longport is 4 miles, or 12 minutes according to Google maps.
It seems to me that 12 minutes loss of time or sleep, for the safety of all students in Ventnor, and the lack of representation with the ACBOE, instead of hitting your heads against the wall (mind you the wall is not bleeding, but the heads are), it would make more sense to open a dialogue with Ocean City or Mainland since Ventnor pays tuition to Atlantic City.
If and when Atlantic City begins to realize that they are not the only game in town, but there are other avenues that can be explored, Ventnor BOE may have some leverage in these discussions.
Take the tax money to a better school district.
Atlantic City High School, especially presently, can not even compare to Ocean City High School or Mainland High School.