13 NJ Teachers Lost Jobs In 2 Months Amid Bad Behavior Reforms

NEW JERSEY – Thirteen teachers have temporarily or permanently lost their licenses over the past two months for allegedly bad behavior as lawmakers and school officials continue to push for ways to tighten up the state's system of hiring teachers. They're also pushing for big reforms to New Jersey's educational system (see the list of teachers and their school districts below).

The teachers were removed for a variety of reasons, including several who admitted to having sexual relationships with students and another who allegedly spat at a police officer and broke another cop's nose.

The sanctions come as school officials have called on lawmakers and school districts to continue to find ways to shore up the recently enacted “pass-the-trash” law, which gave districts the power to warn other jurisdictions about teachers accused of sexual abuse and other bad behavior

The New Jersey School Board Association has pushed for the passage of one bill, A-4407, that would require the state Department of Education to collect data and report to the legislature about school districts’ implementation of the "pass-the-trash" law.

Lawmakers also have called on the Office of Attorney General to launch a probe after the recent revelation that a teacher was hired again after previously 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 in 2019 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 two years ago that was intended to prevent such mistakes from ever happening.

The state's top lawmaker, meanwhile, continues to push a plan to boost educational standards that could ultimately lead to the elimination of 275 New Jersey school districts.

Senate President Steve Sweeney is pushing his plan that he says will fix New Jersey's fiscal crisis, restore the stability of the pension system and save tens of billions of dollars for taxpayers. He has 27 bills that he wants on the legislative agenda that, lawmakers say, are part of his "Path to Progress" plan that would ultimately wipe out nearly 300 school districts. Read more: Renewed Push On Plan To Eliminate 275 NJ School Districts

Here are the 13 teachers who have been sanctioned since Dec. 1, according to the state Department of Education:

December

• Brantley N. Cesanek of Haddon Township, who was previously employed as a teacher in another school district, has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for having sex with a female student, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina recently announced. Cesanek, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, authorities announced. Cesanek was a Latin teacher at Cherokee High School. He admitted to engaging in an ongoing sexual relationship with a student in 2016 and 2017, authorities said. His credentials were revoked.
• Eugene Colbert, 31, of South River, who worked as a teacher's aide and coach in the New Brunswick school system, was recently sentenced to five years in state prison after he admitted earlier last year to having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old female student. Colbert worked as a special education teacher's aide at New Brunswick Middle School. He was also an assistant coach for the boys basketball and football teams at the school. He worked in the New Brunswick school district since 2009. His credentials were revoked.
• James Conzelmann pleaded guilty in 2018 to endangering the welfare of children, simple asssault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. On Oct. 3, 2018, Conzelmann was sentenced to house arrest with electronic monitoring. His credentials were revoked.
• Jennifer Greco was arrested several times on charges involving drugs and domestic violence. In one such case, the Deptford Police Department said that, on Jan. 21, 2015, Greco was charged with aggravated assault following an altercation she had with her ex-boyfriend. On Sept. 28, 2015, the charge was remanded to municipal court and downgraded to simple assault. That charge was dismissed on March 30, 2016 for lack of prosecution. The charges were the result of an incident where Greco allegedly threw a knife at her ex-boyfriend’s face as they argued over a child custody issue while she was at his residence eating dinner. Both children were present during the altercation, according to the state Board of Examiners. The right side of the victim’s face allegedly sustained a laceration and swelling. Greco's charges from other incidents were also dismissed. Still, the state Board of Examiners and an administrative law judge agreed that Greco engaged in "conduct unbecoming a teacher." Her credentials were suspended for six months.
• Larry L. Lewis allegedly touched a female student on her lower back and upper thigh. Other students complained that Lewis called students “low lifes and stupid” and put his hands on their shoulders and moved down toward their chests. In addition, during the school district’s investigation into Lewis’ behavior, it was discovered that he had falsified his employment application by failing to report disciplinary action taken against him by a previous school system. His credentials were revoked.
• Shea D. Lightfoot was charged with burglary, unlawful entry and criminal mischief after she changed the lock on the door of a vacant home and attempted to move into a residence so she could live rent-free in Mercer County. When confronted by police officers, Lightfoot initially lied and said she rented the house, according to the board. She was unable to produce any rental agreement and the officers discovered that the house was bank-owned and had not been rented. Lightfoot admitted that her belongings were moved into the home by her ex-boyfriend. She acknowledged that when she was first questioned, she was not completely honest with the police out of fear of retaliation from the ex-boyfriend. Her credentials were suspended for a year.
• Megan Orlando was indicted on charges of theft by unlawful taking and two counts of conspiracy in Cape May County. Orlando had lived in the victim’s house with her boyfriend when she stole more than $45,000 worth of jewelry belonging to the victim’s deceased wife, according to the board. Orlando and her boyfriend later sold the jewelry to a pawn shop. She ultimately entered a Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program for a period of 18 months. Her credentials were revoked.
• Brandon L. Pantano was charged in Union County with three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement Officer-bodily injury, throwing bodily fluid at a law enforcement Officer, resisting arrest and two counts of criminal mischief. On Oct. 22, 2018, Pantano pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer-bodily injury. Pantano had been charged after police officers attempted to handcuff him and place him in a police vehicle. He resisted arrest and head-butted and kicked the arresting officers, breaking one’s nose and bruising two others' faces. He also spat at a fourth officer. In addition, Pantano repeatedly kicked the police car, denting and scratching the vehicle. On Nov. 30, 2018, Pantano was sentenced to three years’ probation. His credentials were revoked.
• Darren R. Pieper, 45 of Readington Township pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault He was arrested on July 19, 2019 after an investigation by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit and the Readington and Raritan Township police departments revealed that he had engaged in sexual conduct with victims between 13- and 16-years-old, prosecutors said. His credentials were revoked.
• Frank M. Scirocco entered a Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program in Union County for a year after being charged with distributing controlled substances within 500 feet of public property and several counts of possession of CDS and drug paraphernalia. Scirocco was also ordered to perform 60 hours of community service. His credentials were revoked.
• Vincent Serpico faced certified tenure charges of unbecoming conduct, alleging that he used disrespectful language in the classroom, including racial slurs, in Piscataway. Serpico had been “counseled, admonished and disciplined from time-to-time for disrespectful and demeaning statements to students,” the board said. Serpico was repeatedly cited for using sarcasm in his classroom, which was perceived by parents and students as demeaning and hurtful. In his 2009-2010 summary evaluation, Serpico was cited for his language, which stated and implied that his students were “stupid.” In the latest incident, on May 8, 2018, Serpico was in his classroom arguing with M.D., a male African-American student. In the middle of the argument, Serpico allegedly yelled at his students, asking why he always had to hear “n***r” (which he repeated several times) and “F-You,” the board said. 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, the board said. His credentials were suspended for two years.
• Rosanne M. Simeone had surrendered her Pennsylvania teaching certificate after she pleaded guilty in 2017 to the crime of false reports to law enforcement authorities. Simeone falsely reported that her ex-boyfriend had vandalized her property and raped her when, in fact, she had vandalized his property and made up the allegations against him, the board said. Her credentials were revoked.
• Michael T. Williams pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon-handgun without permit to carry (second-degree) and unlawful possession of weapon-handgun (second-degree). On Nov. 8, 2018, Williams was sentenced to 5 years in prison with one year of parole ineligibility. After being stopped by police following an altercation at a McDonalds, Williams’ car was searched. Police found a large amount of marijuana, approximately $2,000 in cash and two loaded handguns in the car. His credentials were revoked.