Crime Allegations Lead to Low Morale at Atlantic City, NJ Schools

The education field is supposed to be highly professional, polished and dignified.

Such is not the case in Atlantic City, New Jersey these days.

The chief school administrator, La’Quetta Small is charged with serious child abuse crimes … and, she is desperately trying to hold on to power … stay on the job, as she battles the criminal allegations.

The optics couldn’t be worse.

The Atlantic City High School Principal, Constance Days-Chapman is currently suspended after being criminally charged.

It has made for an incredibly dysfunctional atmosphere within the Atlantic City Public Schools system.

LA'QUETTA SMALL is criminally charged with:

• 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child.
• 3 separate counts of disorderly persons simple assault.

MARTY SMALL is criminally charged with:

• 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child.
• 3rd degree aggravated assault
• 3rd degree terroristic threats
• disorderly persons simple assault.

Constance Days-Chapman has been criminally charged with:

• second-degree Official Misconduct.
• third-degree Hindering Apprehension of Another.
• fourth-degree Obstruction of Justice.
• disorderly persons Failure to Report Child Abuse.

Couple all of these problems with the significant amount of nepotism and favoritism within the Atlantic City Public Schools system, and, this negative culture is taking its toll on the employees at all levels.

Just look at some of the immediate family members (of Board of Education Members) who are employed by the Atlantic City Public Schools system:

Former Atlantic City Board of Education President, John Devlin told us:

This is a classic example of chickens coming home to roost. Back when we were dealing with the the Kayan Frazier Matter (Frazier who is Small's First Cousin), who was charged with sexually assaulting a student from Atlantic City,  we were advised by independent legal council that we should establish a confidential communication line with present/past victims who were sexually abused or the victim of any kind of abuse. Several board members and I attempted to establish a safe haven hot line, website or email for victims, wittiness's past or present with information. Unfortunately we received a lot of push back … mostly by Shay Steele and and other Small Supporters on the board of Education. Sadly it was never established and any information that would help an investigation was never recovered, we need to do better, said Devlin.

It is incumbent upon the state of New Jersey to take immediate corrective action within the Atlantic City Public Schools system.