On Wednesday evening at the Marlboro Board of Education meeting, the parents of a thirteen-year-old student who attends Marlboro Middle School charged that the district failed to act promptly when their daughter was molested in the hallway by her teacher. The alleged assault on March 13th was captured on camera and witnessed by another teacher. That witnessing teacher reported the incident to administrators but, while they were investigating, the child was sent back to the classroom of her attacker. The parents weren’t notified until after school was dismissed that afternoon when an assistant principal told them their daughter had been fondled and groped by her teacher.

NJER isn’t identifying the name of the student or the teacher, who has not yet been charged. She has since resigned her position in Marlboro.

At the board meeting (see minutes 4:25-11 minutes in the video below), the mother, with her husband at her side, said, “my daughter was sexually abused in this school,” alleging that school officials failed to protect her daughter from the teacher and mishandled the incident, particularly by having the student go back into the teacher’s classroom for “more torment.”

The mother told 101.5, “my daughter had to go back to the classroom while they were trying to figure out what to do, pulling the video and speaking with the teacher. Nobody at any point went, ‘Oh my God, where is that little girl right now?’ It was, ‘How do we cover our tracks?”

The mother also said the teacher appeared at her home that evening to say it had all been a misunderstanding. The family’s lawyer alleges the teacher texted the parents, “asking them to cover for her because she was afraid she would lose her job.” 

Later in her public comments, the mother assails Marlboro school board attorney Marc Zitomer for blaming the family for the assault. She read a letter from him to the board that the parents received: “If anybody should have been aware of this teacher’s proclivities it was Jane Doe’s parents who saw fit to have her tutor their child in their home for a year or more.”

“He blamed me for what happened down that hallway,” the mother told the board. “You blamed us. You can’t make up this kind of stupid.” Zitomer repled, “I used a poor choice of words, and I am from the bottom my heart really sorry.”

The Board was visibly upset during and after the parents’ remarks. One of the board members made a motion to fire Zitomer. Later the board decided that his contract is ending in a few months and at that point they’ll seek other legal representation. On Wednesday, Superintendent Michael Ballone sent a letter to parents saying it was an “isolated incident” but they are taking “all necessary precautions to protect students.” The full letter is below.

Marlboro Public Schools was closed Thursday and had a delayed opening today due to bomb threats. It is unclear if the threats are connected with the board meeting.

Marlboro Mayor John Hornik made the following statement:

“We have been made aware of allegations of an incident involving a child under the care of the Marlboro School District. We have been informed by representatives of the Board of Education that the school employee in question is no longer in the presence of any students.  Our job as parents, and as public officials, is first and foremost to protect our citizens, especially our children, who are the most vulnerable among us. These very serious and disturbing allegations are currently under active investigation by the Marlboro Police. Our thoughts are with the student and her family during this difficult time.”