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Special Education

Schools
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named The New Jersey Department of Education has named the top 21 educators in the state. The department released the list of the 2024-25 New Jersey County Teachers of the Year on Tuesday, Aug. 6.  They are: Atlantic County: Carly Broomhead, Visual Arts Teacher at Emma C. Attales Middle School in the Absecon School District Bergen County: Margarita Diakos, Special Education Teacher at Ramsey High School in the Ramsey School District Burlington County: Margaret Fanourgakis, Health & Physical Education Teacher at Shawnee High School in the Lenape Regional Hi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says A special education teacher in Monmouth County was accused of sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 43, of Jackson Township, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced her arrest in a news release on Saturday, June 29.  Prosecutors said Havemann-Niedrach is a teacher at Freehold Intermediate School and according to her LinkedIn profile, she teaches special education in the borough's district. He…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Popular Track Coach Killed In NJ Crash 'Never Gave Up On His Students' Popular Track Coach Killed In NJ Crash 'Never Gave Up On His Students'
Popular Track Coach Killed In NJ Crash 'Never Gave Up On His Students' "A-M-A-Z-I-N-G" is how Timber Creek Regional High School described Shawn McHugh. The popular special education teacher and track coach died on Thursday, Jan. 18 of injuries suffered in a two-car crash in Deptford weeks prior. "Mr. McHugh was a Teacher, a Coach, a Friend and an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G part of our Timber Creek Community," the high school said on Facebook. The 51-year-old Sicklerville resident fondly nicknamed "Q" was employed by the Black Horse Pike Regional School District for 18 years.  "He was dedicated, revered and a bright friendly face," the post said. "He left an indelibl…

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by Jon Craig
Obituaries
Philadelphia Teacher, Levittown Mom Dies, 47 Philadelphia Teacher, Levittown Mom Dies, 47
Philadelphia Teacher, Levittown Mom Dies, 47 Nicole Larue Walsh, a longtime teacher in Philadelphia schools and a Levittown mother of three, passed unexpectedly on Tuesday, Jan. 16, loved ones said in her obituary. She was 47.  A lifelong Levittown resident, Walsh graduated from Neshaminy High School in 1994 before continuing her studies at Temple University, her obit says. She earned her master's in reading development from Holy Family College, family members wrote.  Walsh was a middle school special education teacher and began working in Philadelphia schools in 2009, according to her LinkedIn. Before that, she taught …

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit
Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit A special education teacher has sued a South Jersey school district for firing her after she complained about understaffing. Bryanna Mostak, 30, of Hamilton, was fired after taking a medical leave due to stress and anxiety. Mostak claims her supervisors failed to respond to her complaints as an elementary school teacher in the Bordentown Regional School District. Mostak began the 2021 school year with seven special education students  "who often had very aggressive or violent tendencies and suffered from numerous physical, emotional, behavioral, and psychological challenges," the laws…

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by Jon Craig
News
Teaneck District Pays $50,000 To Settle Special Ed Teacher's Sexual Harassment Suit Teaneck District Pays $50,000 To Settle Special Ed Teacher's Sexual Harassment Suit
Teaneck District Pays $50,000 To Settle Special Ed Teacher's Sexual Harassment Suit The Teaneck school district confidentially paid $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former special education teacher who said she was fired after refusing the then-principal’s sexual advances, records show. Whittier Elementary School Principal Pedro H. Valdes III – now the principal of Teaneck High School -- engaged in “overly flirtatious” behavior that was “disturbing and intimidating at best," Grace Kenny charged in a sexual discrimination lawsuit. Rather than go to trial, district officials settled the case and agreed, along with Kenny, to keep the terms of the deal confidential. Set…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
North Jersey Mom, Beloved Special Education Worker Lauren Marek Dies, 35 North Jersey Mom, Beloved Special Education Worker Lauren Marek Dies, 35
North Jersey Mom, Beloved Special Education Worker Lauren Marek Dies, 35 A North Jersey family is mourning the loss of the "center of their universe." Lauren Marek of West Caldwell died on Dec. 19 at Mountainside Medical Center in Glen Ridge, her obituary says. She was 35 years old. Marek was married to John Marek and was the mother of Audrey, 7, and John, 4. A GoFundMe page launched for Marek's family had raised $35,000 as of Tuesday evening. "Lauren was a kind and compassionate person who was always first in line to help anyone in need," the page reads. "She was always volunteering, asking what else she could do and never asked for anything in return." …

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by Cecilia Levine