7 Wall HS Students Were Suspended In November For 'Hazing'

WALL, NJ — A total of seven students from Wall High School were suspended last month for "hazing & conduct unbecoming of a student," according to a district document included in the agenda for the next Wall Board of Education on Tuesday.

Also on the consent agenda is the approval of an interim athletic director, Nicholas Pizzulli, for the remainder of the school year with a pay of $600 per day.

The first student suspended was on Nov. 10, one day after reports came out about the hazing allegations. The other six students were suspended in a time period spanning from Nov. 11 to 24.

All students listed in the documents were suspended for 10 days.

It's unclear how many — if any — of these suspensions might be related to the hazing and sexual assault investigations being undertaken by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

A lawyer representing families of Wall football players not involved in the allegations, Deborah L. Gramiccioni, sent a letter to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tracy Handerhan asking that any suspensions be considered carefully.

"My letter requested that caution and care be taken before summarily meting out suspensions because of the devastating effects that school exclusion have on children, especially for those children that were only guilty by proximity or association," Gramiccioni said.

Three coaches at the school and the Athletic Director Tom Ridoux have been put on leave.

In the last board of education meeting, Russell Gartz resigned via a letter read out loud by another board member.

During the heated session, parents demanded resignations and answers regarding the timeline of the events related to the hazing and sexual assault allegations. Former and current students described a culture of harassment at Wall High School dating back decades.

The board next meeting will be Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Business Office Conference Room.