Marlboro family sues and says daughter was groomed, molested at middle school
MARLBORO — Parents who say their daughter was groomed and molested by a teacher inside Marlboro Memorial Middle School are suing the district, various school officials, the teacher and a police captain they say misled the public and painted the family in a negative light.
The parents - identified in the lawsuit only by their daughter's initials - accused special education teacher Jenna Sciabica of fondling the girl's breasts in a school hallway in March, an act caught on camera and witnessed by amiddle school staff member, according to the lawsuit.
The family also says Sciabica had numerous sexually explicit and inappropriate conversations with L.T. and other students, which amounted to "grooming" the children, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by attorney Nima Ameri of Hackensack.
The family and Sciabica had a friendly relationship prior to the incident, with Sciabica coming to their home to tutor the girl's brothers on several occasions.
Sciabica's attorney Mitchell Ansell, who has an office in Ocean Township, said Sciabica was treated like family by the girl's parents for the past three years. Sciabica also has an "unblemished record" in teaching that goes back 15 years, he said.
"This is a baseless defamatory accusation which is nothing more than a money grab," Ansell said in a statement. "For this lawsuit to now claim that my client was 'sexually grooming this girl' is absolutely outrageous."
Previously: Special education teacher at Marlboro Memorial Middle School charged with harassment
The lawsuit also names numerous school officials, including Michael Ballone, the superintendent, Memorial Middle School Principal John Pacifico and the school board; as well as two social media users who shared details about the family and allegations online. The lawsuit describes the two women - Jennifer Weinmeier and Jamie Erin - as online "trolls."
The family says school officials failed to take formal action against Sciabica until a month after they became aware of the incident, when the girl's mother went to a school board meeting and made her allegations in public, according to the lawsuit. The family alleges school officials also did not provide their daughter with counseling or a nurse's support after the incident.
Ballone, the superintendent, released a statement in April saying an act of "inappropriate physical contact perpetrated by a teaching staff member against a student" had occurred in the middle school.
"As soon as we became aware of the situation, action was taken, and the staff member in question was immediately removed from her position," he wrote in a letter to parents. "In addition, the Board of Education President was notified. Our administrative team continues to work closely with law enforcement, the State Board of Examiners which regulates teacher licensure and credentials, and other authorities to ensure a thorough investigation isconducted."
Although Sciabica submitted her resignation in March, the school board did not accept her resignation until mid-April, according to the lawsuit.
The family also said district officials failed to supervise and screen Sciabica and failed to train teachers and supervisors on recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior.
"We don’t believe it is ever justifiable or explainable to touch a minor’s private parts with or without their consent if you are an adult," said Ameri, the family's attorney. "Any narrative otherwise is truly shocking, in our opinion."
Marlboro police charged Sciabica in April with harassment, a petty disorderly persons offense, related to the incident.
Marlboro Police Captain Stephen Levy, who is also named in the lawsuit, said the incident involved "offensive touching over the clothes by the teacher upon the student in a hallway of the school."
Related: Will Marlboro school board launch investigation after student faced 'offensive touching?'
Levy said that the incident was under investigation by police for a month and involved reviewing the school's security camera footage, written statements and performing interviews with witnesses.
The family is suing Levy, saying his statements to the news media provided "false information intentionally disseminated to residents in order to paint Plaintiffs in a false light and try to vindicate the police’s failure to act for over a month by minimizing the atrocity that occurred to (the student)," according to the lawsuit.
The police department's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
"There has been a lot of trauma for everyone involved, not only from the incident that happened, but from the way… the board and the police department and the superintendent have handled it publicly," said Ameri. "We believe they have willfully made misleading statements to the public."
Contributing: Ken Serrano
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 15 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lawsuit says Marlboro girl was molested, groomed by teacher
