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Parents tell Little Egg Harbor school board of repeated classroom assaults and evacautions, urge transparency
Summary
Two parents described repeated violent student behavior and classroom evacuations, citing state rules and Section 504; the board said it is investigating but said FERPA limits public disclosure of student-specific details.
Two parents told the Little Egg Harbor Township Board of Education on Tuesday that repeated classroom disturbances have endangered students and disrupted instruction, and they urged the district to provide more transparency and faster special‑education reviews.
"There’s a system-level failure and behavioral crisis response," said Tiffany Middlecoop, who gave her address at the podium and described multiple full-class evacuations caused by severe behaviors including thrown chairs and physical aggression. She cited New Jersey Administrative Code provisions she said require timely reevaluation and behavior assessments and called for public monthly behavior-safety data and a presentation on crisis response and staffing.
"A child who is exhibiting extreme behaviors is a child who needs more support, not less," Middlecoop said, urging the board to deploy cross-training, crisis training and behavioral supports without delay.
Later, Linda DeVoe said her daughter had been assaulted multiple times in class, described daily trauma and lost instructional time, and said she had filed a report and been told findings might not be available until January. "I will go — I just am here to protect her," DeVoe said, describing calls from police and outreach from a lawyer after posting about the situation.
Board members thanked both speakers for coming forward and for respectful comments. A board member said student safety is the board's top priority and that the board and administration are working within legal constraints to address concerns. The board also read a statement before public comment reminding the public that federal and state student-privacy laws—including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act—limit the district’s ability to discuss student-specific details in a public forum.
The board did not announce disciplinary specifics or next procedural deadlines in the public meeting. Members urged the speakers to work with district administrators and said administration is actively engaged in addressing the matter in accordance with legal and district policy. The district said it will provide required notifications and follow statutory procedures where applicable.
The board meeting record does not resolve the parents’ specific allegations; parents requested public data and additional transparency and said they want timely reevaluations, functional behavioral assessments and updated behavioral intervention plans when warranted.
What’s next: the board invited parents to meet with administrators and reiterated that investigations and personnel processes are being handled according to state and federal law.
