ATLANTIC CITY – Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman was indicted by an Atlantic County Grand Jury Wednesday, Sept. 11, on multiple counts related to allegations of failing to notify authorities about parental abuse of a student.
The child reportedly is the daughter of Atlantic City Superintendent of Schools La’Quetta Small and Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.
Days-Chapman, 39, of Atlantic City, was indicted on five counts of second-degree official misconduct, one count of second-degree pattern of official misconduct, one count of second-degree Endangering the
welfare of a child, and one count of third-degree hindering apprehension of another.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office alleged in the indictment that during the month of December 2023, a then 15-year-old female student at the ACHS disclosed to Days-Chapman in her office that she was suffering from continuous headaches due to being hit by her parents at home. Days-Chapman allegedly did not notify either the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P formerly known as DYFS) nor law enforcement authorities as is required by statute and school policy when a student discloses alleged child abuse to an employee at the school.
On Jan. 22, 2024, that same student informed a school staff member that the student had been emotionally and physically abused at home and that the student had previously disclosed this abuse to Days-Chapman. The school staff member discussed the matter with Days-Chapman later that same day, the Prosecutor’s Office alleged.
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 DCP&P. 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, according to the indictment. Days-Chapman also allegedly told the employee that she was going to give the parents of the child a “heads up” that DCP&P was going to be involved.
Later that evening, Days-Chapman allegedly met with the juvenile’s parents outside of the parents’ house. The three of them met inside Day-Chapman’s running car, the Prosecutor’s Office alleged, and that 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 from Atlantic City High School either in December or January. Law enforcement was also never notified of any abuse disclosure regarding the juvenile in either December or January until a disclosure from a non-school entity called the abuse hotline to report the abuse on Jan. 24, 2024.
This incident was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit and the Professional Standards and Accountability Unit. The office noted these charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information about this alleged 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.
Crime Stoppers: People can also call Crime Stoppers at (609) 652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.
Editor’s note: Information contained in this story is from a press released from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.