License Suspended For Piscataway Teacher Who 'Went Ballistic'

PISCATAWAY, NJ — A Piscataway High School teacher who was accused of verbally lashing out at his students in a 2018 incident — asking why he had to hear the "N-word" and F-you" so often in their rap music — has had his teaching license suspended for two years, but not permanently revoked, the state Board of Examiners recently announced.

The state Board of Examiners reviews and approves licensing and credentials for all New Jersey public school teachers.

The teacher is Vincent Serpico, and he was employed as a special education math teacher at Piscataway High School when the incident happened, according to the New Jersey Department of Education. Serpico had tenure status, as he started working in the district in 2004; he was originally hired to teach math at Quibbletown Elementary School.

He was brought up on tenure charges after his May 8, 2018 meltdown, in which he admitted he "went ballistic" on his students, according to the state ruling. At the time of the incident, he was making $86,926 a year, MyCentralJersey reported.

On that date, Serpico was in his classroom arguing with M.D., a male African-American student. In the middle of the argument, Serpico yelled at his students, asking why he always had to hear “N-” (which he repeated several times) and “F-You," according to the board. Students said that Serpico said the following to them in class that day: “N-, n-, n-,” “f- you,” and “suck my d-.”

A female African-American student, S.R., told Serpico she was upset at his use of the “N” word and asked to leave the classroom. When M.D. told a fellow student that he believed S.R. was going to report the incident, Serpico "angrily accosted M.D. at his desk in an aggressive manner, cursing at M.D. and screaming that nothing was going to happen because no one cared what he (Serpico) did," according to the board's ruling.

Serpico also then told the students that he was tired of working at Piscataway High School. Several students filmed Serpico’s outburst, and video of the incident spread throughout the school and Piscataway community. Serpico was fired by the Piscataway school district shortly after the incident.

However, May 8 was not the first time Serpico had had altercations with his students, according to the ruling. The Piscataway school district alleged that, over the course of his career there, Serpico had been “counseled, admonished and disciplined from time to time for disrespectful and demeaning statements to students.”

He was repeatedly cited for using sarcasm in his classroom, which was perceived by parents and students as demeaning and hurtful, according to the ruling. In his 2009-2010 evaluation, Serpico was cited for his language, which stated and implied that his students were "stupid." (Serpico denied ever being sarcastic, and denied calling his students "stupid.")

Then in February 2011, Serpico was again cited for calling students “idiots" and telling a student to “shut up” when she entered the classroom laughing, said the state. He also denies those allegations.

A state arbitrator also took noted that Serpico was unhappy when he was transferred from the middle school to Piscataway High School, and that Serpico was repeatedly denied a transfer back to the middle school. "As a result, (he) was frustrated and resentful in his job," wrote the arbitrator.

In his response, Serpico said he did not say the curse words or racial slurs with malicious intent. Rather, he said he was repeating the words to show the students "the ridiculousness of the language being used."

The Board wrote in their ruling:

"He stated that he is subjected to constant inappropriate language in the high school, but that the racial slurs were not directed towards students. Further, he denies that he has ever been sarcastic or disrespectful with his students. He believes the students fabricated this allegation. He also denies that he called students 'stupid' .... Serpico also indicates that he sought transfer from the high school and that he was bullied and made to feel uncomfortable instead of being transferred. Finally, Serpico states that his math student, M.D., would goad, mock and taunt him and that these behaviors were a daily occurrence."

In their December ruling, the state determined his license should be suspended, but not taken away entirely.

"The record established several incidents of concerning conduct by Serpico. However, the Board believes that the conduct does not warrant a revocation, but rather a suspension of his (teaching) certificates," the state Board of Examiners wrote in their Dec. 13, 2019 decision. "Further, the length of the suspension is mitigated by the difficulty Serpico had in obtaining a transfer and feeling under supported professionally. Nevertheless, the Board finds that Serpico’s conduct is inappropriate and warrants a two-year suspension of his certificates."

"It is therefore ordered that Serpico’s certificates are hereby suspended for two years, effective immediately," they wrote.

You can read the state Board of Examiner's Dec. 2019 ruling here: https://nj.gov/education/legal/examiners/2019/dec/1819-177.pdf