10 NJ Teachers Lose Jobs For Bad Behavior As More Changes Urged

NEW JERSEY – Ten teachers have temporarily or permanently lost their licenses over the past two months for bad behavior as lawmakers and school officials want more improvements that tighten up the state's system of hiring teachers while boosting the quality of instruction (see the list of teachers and their school districts below).

The teachers were removed for a variety of reasons, with some accused of sexual abuse and another teacher who was charged with "jumping on the back of a police officer."

The sanctions come as school officials have called on lawmakers and school districts to continue to review and ensure they are in compliance with the recently enacted “pass the trash” law, which gave school officials the power to warn other districts about teachers accused of sexual abuse and other bad behavior

The New Jersey School Board Association says New Jersey should look at other states that have imposed additional requirements and penalties for noncompliance with their own “pass the trash” legislation.

The NJSBA said that, unlike other states, legislation has not been proposed to heighten the requirements of New Jersey’s “pass the trash” law and fix potential loopholes.

The association says, for example, there may be issues that make it hard to implement and monitor the law, and that the state Legislature should look to shore up any loose ends in the legislation.

The NJSBA noted that one bill proposed this legislative session, A-4407, would, if passed, require the state Department of Education to collect data and report to the legislature about school districts’ implementation of the law.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, also continue to call on the Office of Attorney General to launch a probe after the recent revelation that a teacher was hired again after getting sanctioned for bad behavior.

The teacher was arrested once, fired twice from teaching positions and allegedly was caught with pornography on his school computer. But he still found work this past school year in another town, an NJ Advance Media investigation found. Read more: Fired NJ Teacher Faced Porn Allegations, Got Hired Again: Report

The lawmakers were especially upset about the development since Gov. Phil Murphy signed "pass-the-trash" legislation just last year that was intended to prevent such mistakes from ever happening.

Here are the 12 teachers who have been sanctioned since Oct. 1, according to the state Department of Education:

November

• Katie M. Adams was charged with shoplifting from Kohls. The charge was later conditionally dismissed in January 2017. In August 2017, Adams was charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property after she entered a residential property without permission and took jewelry, money, gift cards and electronics belonging to the property owner. On July 23, 2018, Adams pleaded guilty in Gloucester County to one count of theft by unlawful taking. On Oct. 26, 2018, Adams was sentenced to one year of probation. She was also ordered to pay $4000 restitution and continue with substance abuse treatment. Her credentials were revoked.
• Rayna E. Culver of Mount Holly was indicted in July 2018 on two counts of aggravated sexual assault (1st degree), four counts of sexual assault (2nd degree) and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child (2nd degree). Culver allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse and sexual acts with a minor for whom she had caretaking responsibility. Culver was initially taken into custody in May 2017 at her residence following the execution of a search warrant, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. The investigation revealed that Culver, a teacher in the Trenton public school district, had a sexual relationship with the victim, including in Burlington Township, beginning in 2016. Her credentials were suspended.
• Laurence De Weeve had reached a settlement agreement in Florida and accepted a one-year suspension of his Florida educator certificate. De Weever neither admitted nor denied the allegation that he allegedly inappropriately touched students and “punched students in the stomach, tickled them, put a student in a headlock and rubbed the student’s head with his knuckles.” De Weever also allegedly slapped students and hit male students in the genitals. His credentials were revoked.
• Cynthia Foxworth of Turnersville was indicted on September 30, 2014, along with five co-defendants, on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud and aiding and abetting. Foxworth had been involved in a mortgage fraud scheme where financially vulnerable homeowners were misled into thinking that their mortgage debt would be paid through a lease buyback program, thus saving their homes from foreclosure. Foxworth acted as a “straw borrower” to obtain loans from lenders, but the money was never used to help the homeowner. After a jury trial, Foxworth was found guilty and was sentenced to one day of incarceration and five years of supervised release. Her credentials were revoked.
• Eric S. Komar, a music teacher from Hillsborough who performed for children at synagogues and Jewish community centers, pleaded guilty last year to one count of knowingly receiving and distributing child pornography. According to the indictment, Komar had received 600 or more images and videos of child pornography involving prepubescent minors or minors who had not reached the age of 12 years. On October 2, 2018, Komar was sentenced to 82 months in federal prison and supervised release for 10 years. He was also subject to computer monitoring, ordered to participate in a mental health program, ordered to have restricted contact with minors and participate in a sex offender treatment program, among other conditions. His credentials were revoked.
• James Kuntz, who served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1984 to 1988 and at St. Peter's University from 2004 to 2007, was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 11, 2009 after pleading guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography in 2008. As a result of his conviction, Kuntz was disqualified from public school employment after holding a principal certificate. His credentials were revoked.
• Michael I. Levitt was indicted in July 2017 on multiple charges of second-degree sexual assault, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and other charges. On Jan. 10, 2018, Levitt pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual assault. According to the Indictment, Levitt had been sexually assaulting the victim for five years since she was 12 years old. On May 25, 2018, Levitt was sentenced to six years in New Jersey State Prison, parole supervision for life and registry under Megan’s Law. He was also ordered to pay fees and penalties. His credentials were revoked.
• Lynderia Mansfield, a tenured teacher in Newark, received tenure charges alleging unbecoming conduct, corporal punishment, insubordination and other behaviors. An arbitrator said that Newark presented credible eyewitness testimony which recounted behavior which could only be described as “abusive.” The arbitrator found the testimony of the students and their parents to be believable and compelling. Her credentials were revoked.
• Ross J. Segreaves pleaded guilty on June 1, 2018 to stalking. He was sentenced to three to six months in prison and up to two years probation. He had been arrested in the 500 block of North Main Street in Greenwich Township, Warren County, according to lehighvalleylive.com. Palmer Township, Pa. had an active warrant charging Seagreaves with stalking that was connected to a Northampton County protection order. His credentials were revoked.
• Christine Vera entered a Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program on October 24, 2018 for a period of 12 months following an accusation of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Vera allegedly jumped on the back of a police officer as he attempted an arrest. Her credentials were revoked.