Atlantic City, NJ High School Principal Indicted: Misconduct, More

The Atlantic County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office has just confirmed that Atlantic City High School Principal, Constance Days-Chapman has been indicted by an Atlantic County Grand Jury on a variety of criminal charges.

Days-Chapman is facing serious criminal counts, including:

• 5 counts of second-degree Official Misconduct.
• one count of second-degree Pattern of Official Misconduct.
• one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
• one count of third-degree Hindering Apprehension of Another.

About this serious multiple count indictment, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said the following:

It is alleged in the indictment that during the month of December 2023, a then 15-year-old female student at the Atlantic City High School disclosed to Days-Chapman in her office that she was suffering from continuous headaches due to being hit by her parents at home. Days-Chapman did not notify either the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P formerly known as DYFS) nor law enforcement authorities as is required by statute and school policy when a student discloses alleged child abuse to an employee at the school. On January 22, 2024, that same student informed a school staff member that the student had been emotionally and physically abused at home and that the student had previously disclosed this abuse to Days-Chapman. The school staff member discussed the matter with Days-Chapman later that same day. Days-Chapman denied that the student ever disclosed the abuse to her previously but told the school staffer that she would report the matter to DCP&P. Both the staffer and another eyewitness to the conversation believed that Days-Chapman was going to notify the authorities as they were leaving her office. The other eyewitness even told Days-Chapman that she (the eyewitness) would notify DCP&P, but that Days-Chapman insisted that she would make the notification. Days-Chapman also allegedly told the employee that she was going to give the parents of the child a "heads up" that DCP&P was going to be involved.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office also alleges that:

“Later that evening, Days-Chapman met with the juvenile's parents outside of the parents' house. The three of them met inside Day-Chapman's running car,” said the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

It has previously been established that the parents of the juvenile are Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife Atlantic City superintendent of public schools La’Quetta Small.

The Smalls’ were previously direct charged with various criminal offenses by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Days-Chapman was also previously direct charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

It has not been publicly confirmed, however, it is likely that both Marty and La’Quetta Small will soon face an Atlantic County Grand Jury.

The New Jersey Department of Child Protective Services (DCP&P) previously confirmed “that there was no disclosure reported to them regarding the abuse of the juvenile from Days-Chapman or any other member of the staff from Atlantic City High School either in December or January. Law enforcement was also never notified of any abuse disclosure regarding the juvenile in either December or January until a disclosure from a non-school entity called the abuse hotline to report the abuse on January 24, 2024,” said the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

This incident was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office's Special Victims Unit and the Professional Standards and Accountability Unit.

ADDENDUM: Former Atlantic City Board of Education President John Devlin said the following:

This is a prime example why I was frivolously removed from the Atlantic City Board of Education. I blew the whistle on administrators not reporting crime in our school district. I also demanded an independent investigation into why these things went on without the the board of education was not advised. There is no room in any school in America to not do your duty and protect children. If a crime was committed under my watch I would damn well report it. I don't give a hoot of who you are or if it's politically incorrect or not. If you want to attack me for telling the truth and protecting our children then so be it. I will strap my helmet on and we can dance, said Devlin.

SOURCE: Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.