Atlantic City HS Principal Who Didn't Report Child Abuse Indicted

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The principal of Atlantic City High School was indicted on numerous charges relating to an incident where she failed to report to authorities that a student - the child of the city's mayor and school district superintendent - had disclosed being abused at home, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Constance Days-Chapman, 39, was indicted on five counts of second-degree official misconduct, one count of second-degree pattern of official misconduct, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of third-degree hindering apprehension of another.

The indictment alleges that in December of 2023, a then 15-year-old Atlantic City High School student told Days-Chapman that she was suffering from continuous headaches due to being hit by her parents at home.

That student was the child of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent La’Quetta Small, NJ Advance Media reported, citing court records.

At the time, Days-Chapman did not notify either the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P formerly known as DYFS) or police, as is required by statute and school policy when abuse is alleged, authorities said.

On Jan. 22, 2024, that same student told another school staff member she was being emotionally and physically abused at home and that she had told Days-Chapman previously, authorities said.

Later that day, the staff member discussed the matter with Days-Chapman, who denied being told of the abuse but said she would report it to DCP&P, officials said.

The staff member and another witness to the conversation believed that Days-Chapman would report the abuse as they left her office, officials said. The other witness even told Days-Chapman that she herself would report it, but Days-Chapman apparently insisted that she would make the notification, according to authorities. She also apparently said she would give the child’s parents a “heads up” that DCP&P would be involved, officials said.

Later that evening, Days-Chapman met with the child’s parents outside of their home, speaking inside her running car, authorities said.

DCP&P confirmed to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office that they never received a report of abuse from Days-Chapman or anyone at the school, officials said.

Police also were never notified until a non-school entity called the abuse hotline to report the abuse on Jan. 24, authorities said.

On the same day Days-Chapman was initially charged in late March, authorities executed search warrants on the home belonging to Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent La’Quetta Small.

They were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and other additional charges in connection with allegations of emotional and physical abuse of their 15/16-year-old daughter in the months of Dec. 2023 and Jan. 2024, Patch previously reported. Read more: Atlantic City Mayor, Superintendent Abused Teen Daughter: Prosecutor

At the time, Small said the investigation was related to a private family matter.