Ex-Teacher Accused Of Molesting Student Found Not Guilty

MARLBORO, NJ — A former Marlboro Township school teacher accused of molesting one of her students was found not guilty of harassment-offensive touching in Marlboro Municipal Court on Thursday, according to her attorney Layne Feldman.

Jenna Sciabica, a former special education teacher at Marlboro Memorial Middle School, was charged with harassment-offensive touching in April in connection with allegations that she molested a student in the school hallway. According to authorities, the incident was caught on camera.

During Thursday’s hearing, the Asbury Park Press reported that Marlboro Detective Michael Pecararo testified that the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case twice and both times found that no sexual offense was committed.

In addition, the student Sciabica is accused of molesting declined to testify, the report said, leaving footage of the incident as the only piece of evidence.

Allegations against Sciabica were first made public at a Board of Education meeting in April, where the student’s parents accused Sciabica of molesting their daughter in a school hallway on March 13. Footage of the meeting was posted online, gaining the attention of multiple social media users.

In May, the parents filed a lawsuit against Sciabica, the school district and several other people in connection with the March 13 incident.

In the lawsuit, the parents accuse Sciabica of holding sexually explicit conversations with her students, and allege that these conversations were used to “groom” their daughter into accepting Sciabica touching her.

The parents also named the school district, school board and Marlboro Superintendent Michael Ballone in the lawsuit, alongside several other people accused of lying about the incident and investigation and of putting out defamatory and/or libelous statements in connection with the matter.

On Oct. 25, Sciabica filed a counterclaims lawsuit against the student’s parents, school officials and people who spoke negatively about her online over the incident.

In her counterclaims, Sciabica accuses the student's parents of being “opportunistic” and alleges that their lawsuit was filed “in a transparent attempt to shake down the Marlboro School District for some cash.”

According to the counterclaims, the March 13 interaction between Sciabica and the student (identified as “L.T.”), consisted of Sciabica pulling at some fabric in the chest area of L.T.’s shirt and tapping L.T.’s chest “with one hand, twice.”

“That contact was no longer than a second,” the counterclaims said.

During this interaction, Sciabica said the teacher who made the groping allegation against her stood a foot away from them, behind L.T.’s back.

According to the counterclaims, the teacher “could not have seen L.T.’s facial expression or the nature of Ms. Sciabica’s minimal contact with L.T.’s chest area,” at this time. Despite this claim, the teacher later reported Sciabica groping L.T. to the Marlboro Township Police Department and Vice Principal Loreen Labuza.

On March, 20, Sciabica resigned from her teaching position “under extreme duress” and “facing significant pressure from Ballone, Marlboro, and the community,” the counterclaims said.

In a statement sent to Patch, Feldman said Sciabica's civil lawsuit remains pending.

"We are hopeful now that the criminal matter is resolved, it will make clear that the civil claims against Ms. Sciabica are frivolous," Feldman said.

According to Sciabica's counterclaims, she had a close relationship with L.T.’s mother before the March 13 incident, and often came over to L.T.’s house to tutor her younger brothers.

In the countersuit, Sciabica describes a March 5 trip she made to L.T.'s home for tutoring.

During this visit, Sciabica said that L.T.’s mother asked her to look at L.T.’s dress for the eighth-grade dance multiple times because L.T. wanted to try it on and show it to her. When the dress turned out to be too big, Sciabica said she helped L.T. adjust the dress while L.T.’s mother was watching.

Related:

• Teacher Molested Girl On Camera In Marlboro School Hallway, Mom Says
• Marlboro Middle School Teacher Charged With Offensive Touching Of Student
• 'Outrageous And Defamatory' Accusations Against Marlboro Teacher False, Attorney Says
• Parents Who Accused Marlboro Teacher Of Molesting Student File Lawsuit
• Ex-Marlboro Teacher Accused Of Molesting Student Sues Girl's Parents