ATLANTIC CITY — The city’s Board of Education declined to publicly address the employment status of schools Superintendent La’Quetta Small Tuesday night during its first regular meeting since she and Mayor Marty Small Sr. were charged with endangering the welfare of their teenage daughter.
“I can’t comment on it,” board President Shay Steele said before the meeting convened into executive session. “We have a job to do here, and one of the things we hold serious is talking personnel matters in public. At this time, we can’t discuss it any further.”
La’Quetta Small gave her superintendent’s report at the beginning of the meeting in front of a standing-room-only crowd of supporters and opponents but didn’t speak on the charges.
Small, who has been superintendent since October 2021, makes $210,000 a year.
People are also reading…
The state Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
Mayor Small also attended the meeting and gave his wife a hug at the start of it. He declined to comment on the situation, referring all questions to his attorney, Ed Jacobs.
Despite the large crowd, only one person addressed the board during the public comment period. Steve Young of the National Action Network of South Jersey, a frequent critic of the Smalls, offered a moment of silence for fallen children in the community.
La’Quetta Small looked at Young during his remarks but said nothing.
The Atlantic City Board of Education is expected to discuss the status of Superintendent La'Quetta Small's employment during its regular meeting Tuesday, a week after she was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly abusing her teenage daughter.
Superintendent Small, 47, was charged April 15 with three counts of disorderly persons simple assault. Mayor Small, 50, was charged with terroristic threats, aggravated assault and disorderly persons simple assault.
Earlier this year, the couple’s teenager daughter told officials at Atlantic City High School she was being physically and mentally abused at home, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Court documents claim during one incident, La’Quetta Small punched her daughter multiple times on her chest, leaving bruising; dragged her daughter by her hair then struck her with a belt on her shoulders, leaving marks; and punched her daughter in the mouth.
In another incident, Mayor Small allegedly hit his daughter in the head several times with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness. He is also alleged to have threatened to hurt her by “earth slamming” her down the stairs, grabbing her head and throwing her to the ground, and “smacking the weave out of her head.”
The claims set off an investigation that saw the high school principal, Constance Days-Chapman, charged March 28 with failing to report the alleged abuse.
During the meeting, the board named Secondary Education Director Donald Harris as the high school’s acting principal, replacing Days-Chapman.
According to prosecutors, a staff member informed Days-Chapman about the abuse. Days-Chapman said she would report the issue to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
Days-Chapman then allegedly met with the juvenile’s parents at their home and informed them the student told staff about the abuse, according to prosecutors.
ATLANTIC CITY — The city is in unprecedented territory as it deals with child abuse allegati…
But it was later determined Days-Chapman failed to report the abuse, as required by law and school district policy, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Days-Chapman headed up Mayor Small’s reelection campaign in 2021, and the affidavit of probable cause against the Smalls lists her name several times.
She also is the president of the city’s Democratic Committee but was asked to take a leave absence pending the outcome of her case.
The Smalls are due in court for their first appearance May 15.
Days-Chapman is due in court May 20 for a pre-indictment conference.
Welcome to the discussion.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.