First Female Athletic Director For Wall Schools Approved By Board

WALL, N.J.—The Board of Education approved several changes to top spots at district schools, filling jobs vacated by administrative leaves, and also named a new athletic director, Marni Henry-Parks.

Henry-Parks will be the first female athletic director in the district's history, said Board President Ralph Addonizio in an interview with Patch.

"We haven't had many athletic directors in Wall, and I believe she is the first female athletic director," he said.

The board approved Henry-Parks at a salary of $155,000. She is to begin on or after July 1.

According to the Hammonton Public School website, Henry-Parks is athletic director/supervisor of physical education at that district in Atlantic County.

She replaces Thomas Ridoux, who had been on administrative leave after a football hazing incident in the district last year. Last week he was named the vice principal of the Wall Intermediate School.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Tracy Handerhand was named acting principal of Wall High School, in addition to her superintendent duties. The district has 3,300 students, Addonizio said.

The high school principal, Rosaleen Sirchio, has been on administrative leave since a senior class to trip to Disneyworld this spring. The district has not specified the issues around the trip that led to the leave. Sirchio's salary is $194,809

After that trip, Erin Embom, then the Wall Intermediate School principal, was also placed on administrative leave.

But the board Tuesday night approved her returning to the district as principal of the Wall Primary School, a K to 5 school, and also being its curriculum director. That move combines two positions, Addonizio said. Embon's salary is $173,261.

Jill Antoniello would be moved from Central School to be principal of Old Mill School. Her salary is $159,336. And Supervisor Efstratios Monafis was named acting principal at Central School, Addonizio said. His salary is $107,363, according to district records.

In other action, Michael Textor, a retired Wall police officer who was the school safety officer, was appointed school security coordinator, Addonizio said, noting that state law requires that role. His new job is effective Sept. 1.

Last week, the board appointed Eric Laughlin principal of the Intermediate School, the same meeting at which it took the action on Ridoux. Laughlin had been principal of the Old Mill School. Laughlin's salary is $177,416; Ridoux's salary is $172,171.

The school administrative staff positions are effective July 1. Salary information was published as part of the agenda for the meeting.

Ridoux had been placed on leave following the disclosure of hazing incidents in September and October of 2021. According to previous Patch reports, six members of the Wall High School football team, who were charged as juveniles in hazing incidents last fall in the high school's locker room, were sentenced to probation and community service, following an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Six of the seven accused students have since been able to return to school after being suspended.

Victims involved in the hazing have come forward and accused the district of negligence, according to a past news report from NJ.com that was credited in a previous Patch article. The negligence accusation was part of tort claim notices sent to the district in January, alerting the district of plans to sue, the NJ.com report said. The report said the tort notices detailed two attacks on different dates in October.