Atlantic City High School principal accused of failing to report abuse indicted
ATLANTIC CITY - The principal of Atlantic City High School was indicted Wednesday after prosecutors say she failed to tell authorities that a student had twice reported being abused by her parents.
Constance Days-Chapman, 39, was charged in March with five counts of second-degree Official Misconduct, and one count each of Pattern of Official Misconduct, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Hindering Apprehension of Another.
Prosecutors say a 15-year-old student at Atlantic City High School told Days-Chapman in December that she was suffering continuous headaches from being hit by her parents. It's alleged that Days-Chapman did not report the abuse claim to the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) or police as required by law.
The next month, prosecutors say the same student told a faculty member that she had been emotionally and physically abused at home. The student, prosecutors say, told the school staff member that she had previously told Days-Chapman about the abuse.
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Atlantic City High School principal charged with official misconduct
Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman has been charged with official misconduct, officials say.
The unidentified staff member discussed the abuse with Days-Chapman that same day, but prosecutors say she denied the student ever told her and insisted that she would report the matter to the Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
It's believed that a witness to the conversation suggested she would reach out to the department, but Days-Chapman "insisted that she would make the notification." She also allegedly told the staffer that she was going to give the parents of the child a "heads up" that DCP&P was going to be involved.
It's alleged that Days-Chapman met with the teen's parents in a running car parked outside their home. Prosecutors say DCP&P did not receive a report from Days-Chapman, or anyone else at Atlantic City High School, about the alleged abuse in December or January.
News of the allegations levied against Days-Chapman closely followed a police raid at the home of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent Dr. La'Quetta S. Small. The couple were later charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child for the alleged abuse of their 15-year-old daughter.
Prosecutors alleged that Small, who has served as Atlantic City's mayor since 2020, hit his teenage daughter in the head with a broom until she lost consciousness. He is also accused of threatening to "earth slam" his daughter down a flight of stairs and slam her head into the ground. He was additionally charged with terroristic threats, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
La’Quetta Small is likewise accused of similar abuse of the teen, including punching her daughter in the chest and mouth. She was accused of grabbing her daughter by the hair and striking her several times on the shoulder with a belt.
The Smalls, through their attorney, have maintained their innocence, despite the charges filed against them, saying the alleged abuse focused on "private family matters, basically attempting to second-guess the parental decisions of Mayor Small and his wife La'Quetta."