Closter Father Who Choked Teen Among 28 Teachers Sanctioned

CLOSTER, NJ – A former Closter schools business administrator who put a teen coach in a chokehold is among the nearly three dozen teachers that have temporarily or permanently lost their licenses due to bad behavior.

Since Aug. 1, 28 teachers have been sanctioned as lawmakers continue to demand for improvements to the state’s hiring system. The teachers were removed for a variety of reasons, from helping students cheat on the PARCC test to sex abuse and drug charges.

Peter Iappelli, formerly of the Closter School District, was charged in October 2017 with simple assault and disorderly conduct after he allegedly cursed and grabbed a 16-year-old flag football coach in a choke hold during a game when Iappelli became upset about coaching decisions. The participants on the flag football team were between 6 and 8 years old.

Iappelli's charges were downgraded to disorderly conduct. His teaching credentials were suspended for three years. He was the Closter Public Schools business administrator at the time of the incident.

See the list of teachers and their school districts here.