Wall football hazing investigation hangs over choices as school board picks new members

WALL - The ongoing criminal investigation into alleged abuse by members of the Wall Township High School football team hung over Tuesday's Board of Education meeting where the board appointed two new members, including one who openly stated the district needs to regain public confidence in the wake of the scandal.

Board members chose to replace one member who had resigned in the midst of the ongoing investigation and another member-elect who chose not to take her seat.

The appointments give the board a full nine-member complement for the first time since November, when Russell Gartz, who is also a football parent, stepped down saying he could no longer serve after receiving “mean-spirited comments” from residents.

The football team investigation, which has resulted in an undisclosed number of students being criminally charged, also led to the suspensions of seven students, three coaches and the athletic director, and the cancellation of the remainder of the 2021 football season.

The board appointed James Maliff, 63, a former teacher and assistant principal, to replace Gartz after interviewing five candidates at Tuesday’s meeting. Maliff, a 1976 Wall High School graduate, was sworn in and will serve the remainder of Gartz’s term, which ends on Dec. 31.

Each candidate was interviewed in public and asked the same nine questions related to confidentiality, time commitment and their responses to different scenarios involving public requests for information and the ability to promote a likely referendum seeking approval for future projects.

Related: Wall football hazing: Criminal charges filed against ‘a number of’ students

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At least two of the candidates raised the investigation as a prime issue when questioned by the board. Maliff stated that the fallout from the scandal “is going to be a challenge, a real challenge for several years, to regain the confidence of the community that the schools are safe and that we will do whatever needs to be done, whatever efforts are needed to instill in the school and the students that this is a safe place.”

He added in his interview that the board needs to “regain the trust of the community, and improve communication with the community to have them understand that the board is doing their best to work in the best interests of the children first.”

Another candidate, attorney Kathleen DiGiovanni, cited her experience in criminal matters as an asset as the football investigation continues, stating, "I'm here because we have a very serious situation. ... The litigation on the horizon will be with us for the better part of three to five years."

Board members also welcomed Thomas Buffa, 39, to the governing body to fill the three-year seat that had been won by candidate Betsy Cross, who chose not to take the seat. An eight-year resident and father of five, Buffa is employed as the director of buildings and grounds for the Upper Freehold Regional School District.

“I’m honored to be able to serve the community. I hope I can contribute some good things to keep the district moving in the right direction," Buffa said.

Cross won a write-in vote for the seat vacated by former board member Andrew Krupa, who chose not to run for reelection. Since Cross decided not to serve, saying she could not do so while pursuing an ongoing lawsuit against the district, her replacement by law was appointed by Monmouth County Schools Superintendent Lester W. Richens, who made his choice last week. Buffa will serve for one year.

The meeting was recessed for five minutes after Cross yelled out several times after addressing the governing body during the public comment portion. When the board reconvened, board President Ralph Addonizio asked for audience members to refrain from disrupting proceedings in the future.

Both Buffa and Maliff are joining the board at a time when the district is still feeling the effects of the football abuse investigation, in which several players are accused of abusing teammates in the locker room on several occasions.

Seven students were suspended in November for their alleged part in the abuse, with several still under suspension this month. All of them were slated to return to school before the end of January, but it is unknown if the criminal charges have altered those plans. No students were expelled.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office last week revealed that several students had been charged in the case but did not provide an exact number or their identities because of their status as minors.

Related: Wall School Board finalizes suspensions for 6 in high school football team hazing probe

Related: Wall write-in school board candidate declines seat, saying she won't give up lawsuit

Superintendent Tracy Handerhan, who has criticized the spreading of rumors and misinformation related to the case in the past, reiterated her concerns during the meeting, stating that "this board has dutifully served this community and to suggest otherwise is not only inaccurate but is a disservice to our students." She later said such attacks can create a "dangerous precedent" for education.

Juvenile complaints alleging hazing, attempted criminal sexual contact, criminal sexual contact, false imprisonment and harassment were filed “against a number of” Wall Township High School students," acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced in a release issued Jan. 10.

The charges were filed against the juveniles related to a series of incidents that occurred in September and October in the Wall High School football team’s locker room, Linskey said.

Moreover, a separate investigation has also resulted in charges of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault against one juvenile in connection with alleged conduct that occurred outside of school, the prosecutor said in a statement.

“It is imperative that victims of hazing, harassment, intimidation and bullying know that such conduct is not a ‘rite of passage’ and should not be endured without consequence in order to gain acceptance in social, club, sport, or academic settings,” Linskey said at the time. “We are hopeful that the lessons gleaned from this case foster a renewed focus on actively teaching juveniles in all of our schools what conduct crosses the line of acceptability, and what students must do if they are a bystander or victim of hazing, harassment, intimidation or bullying.”

It has also been revealed that the district and attorneys for some of the suspended students discussed having the students transfer to another district, with tuition provided by the Wall school district, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. But none of the students accepted the offer.

Such transfers are common for students who are facing discipline, health or other personal problems as part of a solution to ease them back into academic life, officials said.

Several residents, including one parent of a football player, raised the issue of the football probe during public comment. “Provide a timeline to the players and their parents of the next steps," said Chris Rogers, the father of a freshman player. "What the timeframe is we are working with so we as families can make rightful decisions in our family’s best interests, they need assurances that their season will start ASAP.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and Monmouth County for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of two books, including "Killing Journalism" on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-643-4277. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Wall NJ high school football hazing: School board appoints new members