The principal and vice principal over at Ridgewood Avenue Elementary School in Glen Ridge got themselves placed on leave, according to the school district officials. The news comes after some serious allegations that a teacher was grooming a student at the school for years. Principal Michael Donovan and Vice Principal Jonathan Heitmann were put on indefinite leave on Monday by the Glen Ridge school district, leaving everyone scratching their heads in confusion.
Safety concerns and the district’s procedures for involving police seemed to be the main reasons behind this decision, as stated by Superintendent Kyle Arlington. The principals are expected to remain on leave until the end of the school year, which is quite a big deal considering the impact it might have on the students. In a letter sent out to parents, Arlington assured everyone that the school will be in good hands with him and the principal of Central Elementary School co-leading Ridgewood Avenue School for the rest of the academic year.
With about 600 students in grades 3 to 6, the school is definitely going to feel the absence of its principal and vice principal. The whole situation is quite messy, especially since the school officials are keeping their lips sealed about whether this decision is linked to the allegations against the teacher. But hey, not really sure why this matters, but a week before this bomb was dropped, an attorney filed a notice of tort claim against the district on behalf of a student and her family. The claim alleges that an elementary school teacher groomed a 14-year-old girl for an inappropriate relationship that lasted over three years. The girl’s parents are planning to sue the Glen Ridge School District for a whopping $10 million, according to the tort claim.
The teacher involved in this mess worked at Ridgewood Avenue School and was put on leave until he decided to resign. The alleged grooming of the 11-year-old girl started in September 2021 and went on until late March when the incident was finally reported. The family’s attorney, Justin L. Drazin of Red Bank, revealed that the teacher bombarded the child with up to 10 messages a day, including emails, text messages, voice memos, and handwritten notes. The whole thing came to light when another teacher stumbled upon the victim’s journal, which contained some of the handwritten notes, as claimed by the family. Detectives are currently working with the state’s Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit to figure out if the girl was sexually abused, according to Drazin. And get this, Drazin also thinks that other school staff might have been aware of the teacher’s shady behavior.
Now, the big question on everyone’s mind is whether charges have been filed against the teacher. Well, not really sure about that since a spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office mentioned that no charges have been laid against the teacher at the moment. The spokesperson also made it clear that the office doesn’t comment on cases involving juveniles, but they did confirm that the matter has been passed on to the office for review. So, what’s next for Ridgewood Avenue School? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – things are definitely going to be different for the students and staff at this elementary school.
