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Watch NJ Teacher On Ellen Watch NJ Teacher On Ellen
Watch NJ Teacher On Ellen A New Jersey special education teacher made a special appearance on "Ellen." Dressed in all pink, Jaleel Ritchwood-Jorden, a teacher at the Marion P. Thomas Charter School in Newark, talks about why he wanted to become an advocate for children with special needs. Ritchwood-Jorden, 30, who goes simply by JaRich, played a game with tWitch and was surprised with a check for $10,000 from TisBest. Jaleel Ritchwood-Jorden, a teacher at the Marion P. Thomas Charter School in Newark, talks about why he wanted to become an advocate for children with special needs on Ellen.TheEllenShow

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Wall Township Places 2 Principals On Leave In Wake Of Football Hazing Scandal Wall Township Places 2 Principals On Leave In Wake Of Football Hazing Scandal
Wall Township Places 2 Principals On Leave In Wake Of Football Hazing Scandal Both a Wall Township high school and middle school principal have been placed on administrative leave, though it's unclear if is related to last fall's football hazing scandal, NJ Advance Media reported. A letter on Tuesday, April 12 from Superintendent Tracy Handerhan informed the district that Wall Township High School Principal Rose Sirchio had been placed on leave, the outlet said. The following day, it was announced that the same was true for Wall Intermediate School Principal Erin Embon. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office filed juvenile complaints in January against seven studen…

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by Jon Craig
Schools
NJ School Changes Milk Vendor After 30+ Children Sickened By Sanitizer Spurring Lawsuit: Report NJ School Changes Milk Vendor After 30+ Children Sickened By Sanitizer Spurring Lawsuit: Report
NJ School Changes Milk Vendor After 30+ Children Sickened By Sanitizer Spurring Lawsuit: Report The Camden City School District has changed one of its milk vendors after nearly 30 students were sickened by cartons of milk contaminated with a sanitizer, NJ Advance Media reports. A peroxyacetic sanitizer was found in Guida’s Dairy low-fat milk on March 30 at the Early Childhood Development Center, a pre-K school in Camden, as previously reported by Daily Voice.  The contamination incident triggered a federal class-action lawsuit from parents of sickened children. “It was determined that the substance found in the milk cartons was a non-toxic consumable sanitizer that runs through …

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by Jon Craig
Schools
Death Of North Jersey Teacher 'Mr. V' Sends Shockwaves Through District Death Of North Jersey Teacher 'Mr. V' Sends Shockwaves Through District
Death Of North Jersey Teacher 'Mr. V' Sends Shockwaves Through District John Viggiano looked out for everyone. His Essex Fells Elementary School colleagues. His students. And of course, his own friends and family. That's what those who knew Viggiano are saying in the days after his death. Mr. V, as he was affectionately known to his students, died on April 1 at 45 years old. More than $123,200 had been raised as of Wednesday, April 6 on a GoFundMe for his family. "We’ll love you forever Mr. V," one person wrote. "For 16 years you touched the life of every child (and parent) at EFS in such a positive way.  "You are gone too soon, but we are so thankful you …

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Ski-Masked Students With Water Guns Playing Game Of Assassins Across This NJ Town, Police Warn Ski-Masked Students With Water Guns Playing Game Of Assassins Across This NJ Town, Police Warn
Ski-Masked Students With Water Guns Playing Game Of Assassins Across This NJ Town, Police Warn Police in one New Jersey town are urging parents to talk to their teenagers participating in a town-wide game of assassins.  Seniors at Bridgewater Raritan High School have been participating in the elimination game, in which others are eliminated by ski-masked students in surprise water-gun attacks after school and on weekends, police said. The game is banned from school grounds. "We are asking parents to please speak to your child about this activity so we can help keep the Bridgewater-Raritan Students and Community safe," authorities said.  "If your child does, in fact, parti…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Central Jersey HS Dismissed Early, Requiring Masks Due To COVID Outbreak Central Jersey HS Dismissed Early, Requiring Masks Due To COVID Outbreak
Central Jersey HS Dismissed Early, Requiring Masks Due To COVID Outbreak A Central Jersey high school was being dismissed early to avoid the further spread of COVID-19, officials said. In this letter to the community, South Brunswick Schools Superintendent Scott Feder announced the dismissal on Friday, April 1 after 150 students came down with COVID this week. A concert at the school last Saturday purportedly triggered a spike in coronavirus cases, Feder also said masks are now required for students and faculty through the end of next week. “We will reevaluate the need for masks at that time,” the superintendent’s letter said. South Brunswick High School's ea…

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by Jon Craig
Schools
This NJ High School Is Starting Later So Students Can Catch More Z's This NJ High School Is Starting Later So Students Can Catch More Z's
This NJ High School Is Starting Later So Students Can Catch More Z's Students attending one New Jersey high school next year will soon have an extra 40 minutes of shut-eye before starting their first class, thanks to a new proposal from state lawmakers. Chatham High School’s starting time will be pushed back from 7:40 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. for the 2022-23 school year, according to a letter sent to parents from Schools Superintendent Michael LaSusa. The change also affects the other schools in the district, aside from Chatham Middle School, which will keep its starting time of 7:55 a.m., LaSusa said. A new proposal from state lawmakers is asking for high school …

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by Valerie Musson
Schools
Dozens Of NJ Students Hospitalized After Sanitizer Found In Milk Cartons In 4 Schools Dozens Of NJ Students Hospitalized After Sanitizer Found In Milk Cartons In 4 Schools
Dozens Of NJ Students Hospitalized After Sanitizer Found In Milk Cartons In 4 Schools Approximately 30 students in a major New Jersey school district were hospitalized after a “non-toxic consumable sanitizer” was found in many of the district's milk cartons Wednesday, March 30, officials said. Sixty-four of Camden's students were impacted by the substance, NJ Advance Media reports. School officials called 911 after 25 students at the Early Childhood Development Center on Pine Street ingested milk from sealed cartons "with an unidentified substance that had an antiseptic-like odor to it" around 9 a.m. city officials said. Eleven were hospitalized and then …

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
North Jersey High School Mourns Death Of Student North Jersey High School Mourns Death Of Student
North Jersey High School Mourns Death Of Student The Columbia High School community is mourning the loss of a student who died on Tuesday, March 29. Initial and unconfirmed reports indicate that the death was a suicide. The district released a statement confirming the student's death that reads in part: Out of respect for the family, currently, we are unable to share additional details of the student’s death. However, we understand that this loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions not only for our students, but also for members of our staff and parent community. Counseling will be made available to those who nee…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
NJ Substitute Teacher Charged With Lewdness Was Masturbating In Class 2X: Report NJ Substitute Teacher Charged With Lewdness Was Masturbating In Class 2X: Report
NJ Substitute Teacher Charged With Lewdness Was Masturbating In Class 2X: Report A substitute teacher from North Jersey arrested this week was apparently masturbating in class and twice caught by students, NJ Advance Media reports. Nutley High School teacher Richard Dunn, 58, was charged with lewdness and child endangerment on allegations of "inappropriate behavior" while teaching, local police announced. A student videotaped Dunn touching himself in a classroom on Feb. 1, and on March 10, was caught by multiple female students masturbating at his desk and acting "weird" during a digital media class, NJ Advance Media says citing charging documents. Police launched…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
NJ Teacher Taunts 'Pedophile' Colleague, Makes Bomb Threats Against School On LinkedIn NJ Teacher Taunts 'Pedophile' Colleague, Makes Bomb Threats Against School On LinkedIn
NJ Teacher Taunts 'Pedophile' Colleague, Makes Bomb Threats Against School On LinkedIn A New Jersey teacher said he was trying to fight cyber bullies when he posted bomb threats against his middle school, and was seeking justice when he posted death threats against another teacher to his LinkedIn page earlier this month. Shafayeth Syed, a first-year science teacher at William Davie Middle School in Hamilton Township, told 6abc he found two "problematic" social media pages — one that showed students filming each other using the bathroom — and raised his concerns with administration. Unhappy with how school officials handled the situation, Syed took matters into his own ha…

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by Jon Craig & Cecilia Levine
Schools
Merging 13 School Districts Into One Could Save This NJ County Millions Of Dollars Merging 13 School Districts Into One Could Save This NJ County Millions Of Dollars
Merging 13 School Districts Into One Could Save This NJ County Millions Of Dollars Salem County officials are considering merging its 13 school districts into one or two regional districts, NJ Advance Media reported.  Salem Community College led a study on regionalizing the schools in the county, Any final decisions would be made by elected officials and local voters. Consolidating the districts into a single, regional district would generate an annual savings of $6.8 million, the outlet reported. Splitting the 13 districts into two north-south regional districts would result in lower savings at $4.8 million annually, the outlet said. A public vote is requ…

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by Jon Craig