Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office
ATLANTIC CITY – Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman was charged Thursday, March 28 with second-degree official misconduct, third-degree hindering apprehensiobn of another, fourth-degree obstruction of justice, and disorderly persons failure to report child abuse, according to a release from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. The charges were placed on a summons.
The prosecutor alleges that on Jan. 22, a juvenile student at the high school informed a school staff member that the student had been emotionally and physically abused by the student’s parents and that the student had previously disclosed this abuse to Days-Chapman.
The staff member discussed the matter with Days-Chapman later that same day. Days-Chapman denied that the student ever disclosed the abuse to her previously but told the school staffer that she would report the matter to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
Both the staffer and another eyewitness to the conversation believed that Days-Chapman was going to notify the authorities as they were leaving her office. The other eyewitness even told Days-Chapman that she (the eyewitness) would notify DCP&P, but that Days-Chapman insisted that she would make the notification.
Later that evening, Days-Chapman met with the juvenile’s parents at their house and informed them that the juvenile disclosed to school staff that the juvenile was being abused by them.
DCP&P confirmed that there was no disclosure reported to them regarding the abuse of the juvenile from Days-Chapman or any other member of the staff of Atlantic City High School.
The Downbeach towns of Ventnor, Margate and Longport send students to Atlantic City High School on a tuition basis.
This incident was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit and the Professional Standards and Accountability Unit.
Anyone with information about this incident or other serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office’s Website at ACPO.Tips and provide information by filling out a form anonymously.
