School board terminates NJ custodian facing charges, accused of contaminating school lunches
UPPER DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - School board members in New Jersey have voted to terminate a custodian after he was charged and accused of contaminating school lunches last month, and parents are fed up.
Giovanni Impellizzari, 25, was arrested for contaminating food and kitchen utensils at Elizabeth Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township. Officials also say he performed sexual acts with school objects.
On Tuesday, six Upper Deerfield Township School Board members voted to terminate Impellizzari while one member abstained.
The decision followed about six critical comments from parents who expressed their disappointment for how the school handled the incident at an Upper Deerfield Township board of education meeting.
"He wanted to hurt our children in one place and that should be the safest place outside of our home," said Biance Pierce, parent.
Parents continued to express disgust and disappointment over the custodian charged with child endangerment after an investigation revealed the gruesome details of what he allegedly did at the school where he worked.
"When was the last time anybody did a mental health check on your staff to make sure they're up to par to be around children," said Pierce. "How often do you sit down and do a one on one with staff? When was the last time you checked the cameras?
While some parents expressed their shock, others were concerned about protocol.
"When we knew, we left the schools open, we left the kids in the school, we didn't get cleaning and all three schools were not cleaned until a week later and to me that's just unacceptable. That's a delayed timeline," said one man.
On top of performing sexual acts with objects while at the school, Investigators also say Impellizzari tampered with food products and utensils in the cafeteria using bleach and his own bodily fluids which investigators say he offered to students and staff to eat.
Former NJ school custodian charged for child sex abuse materials after food tampering arrest
A former custodian at a South Jersey school is facing even more charges after being accused of contaminating school lunches last month.
"No red flags were raised? That's a little of concern," said another man.
At the start of the board meeting, Superintendent Peter Koza said the situation unfolded rapidly and unexpectedly.
"On Monday October 30th, 2023, when we received an anonymous allegation about this employee, we immediately reported it to the New Jersey State Police. We also removed the employee from our building pending termination," he said.
Another parent defended the district.
"I think everybody did everything that they could do possible," she said.
Impellizzeri was arrested and charged on October 31st. Additional charges followed on November 2nd.