Schools
Mercer County Teacher Resigns Amid Accusations of Bigotry, Drug Abuse
Joe Mahon allegedly made derogatory comments concerning race, sexuality and religion.
A middle school teacher out of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, has resigned after being served tenure charges for his conduct in the classroom and alleged drug abuse.
Joseph Mahon, a teacher at Crockett Middle School, stands accused of making derogatory comments about same-sex marriage, Indians, Asians, Jewish people, Hispanics, African Americans and followers of Islam while in the classroom, according The Trentonian.
The allegations were included in tenure charges obtained by The Trentonian through a public records request. The allegations in the document also outline Mahon’s alleged struggles with substance abuse and allegations of filling instruction time with derogatory comments.
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Mahon will retroactively receive $26,875 of his $54,309 annual salary as part of the settlement, and he has agreed not to sue the school district in the future.
However, the state of New Jersey may still revoke his teaching certificate, according to the report.
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He has also been accused of using his instruction time to show movies to students, and parents have allegedly pulled their students out of his classes due to a lack of instruction, according to the report.
He has been placed on administrative leave repeatedly during his eight-year career, including after testing positive for cocaine use in 2012. His last leave came about a year ago following an outburst in which he screamed at a special education student so loud, his voice could be heard across the hall, according to the report.
The attached image was posted on Joe Mahon’s Facebook page.
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