04 May 2024 , 20:04
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The parents of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually abused by her female teacher and mentor are now taking legal action. They have revealed what they say are disturbing new details about how the educator supposedly groomed their daughter with explicit conversations, before groping her in a school corridor.
The allegations have caused a rift in the community, with some parents expressing outrage over what they perceive as the district and police's mishandling and slow response to the case.
Jenna Sciabica, a special education language arts teacher, is accused of groping the girl on March 13 at Marlboro Memorial Middle School, according to court documents filed on May 1 in Monmouth County Superior Court.
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The family alleges that the student was on her way to class when Sciabica, who was standing in the doorway of her own classroom, called her over.
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The teenager approached Sciabica, who then allegedly began to fondle and rub the girl's breast with one hand, poking, touching, massaging, and rubbing it, as per the court documents. Sciabica is then said to have placed the back of her hand on the girl's forehead, implying that she was becoming aroused.
The teacher also allegedly engaged in sexually explicit and flirtatious conversations with female students at the school in her classroom and in front of other teachers, the family claimed. (Getty Images)According to the court documents reported by The New York Post while this was happening, Jenna Sciabica, from New Jersey, had a satisfied smile on her face, while the teenager stood still, frozen in shock with her hands by her side.
The girl managed to block Sciabica's hands, "pulling them off her breasts," before running down the corridor. Another teacher who witnessed the incident heard Sciabica shout at the girl to "come back here I want to feel and touch them again."
The assault “was...caught entirely on camera,” according to the filing. Sciabica was already known to the girl as she had been tutoring her younger siblings, who have special needs, for over a year, the family stated in their complaint.
The teacher also allegedly engaged in sexually explicit and flirtatious conversations with female students at the school in her classroom and in front of other teachers, the family claimed. Another girl, who has not joined the lawsuit, alleged that Sciabica repeatedly tried to get her phone number, according to the filing.
She was charged, but with a misdemeanour (Linkedin)This student claimed that Sciabica would discuss the penis sizes of other teachers and men and "would openly talk about her own sex life to her 10-14-year-old students," the complaint states.
The second girl reported Sciabica's "inappropriate conversations" to the school guidance counsellor, but no action was taken, the family alleged.
Sciabica is a "predator," the mother of the alleged victim told the Marlboro Board of Education, in the Marlboro township in the US state of New Jersey, at its public meeting on April 16. The board, the mum claimed, "failed to prevent the atrocity that happened down that hallway."
The day after the meeting, and over a month since the incident, Marlboro Police charged the suspended teacher with one count of harassment - a misdemeanour. Alongside Sciabica, the lawsuit filed this week also names the school district, the school board and the Marlboro superintendent as defendants.
The suit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. Additional defendants are accused of lying about the incident and the investigation or making defamatory or libellous statements.
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"We believe this lawsuit clearly...is a baseless defamatory accusation which is nothing more than a money grab," Mitchell Ansell, Sciabica's lawyer, told The Post. "The woman who filed this frivolous lawsuit welcomed my client into her home and treated her like family for the past three years. She wanted my client to be actively involved in helping to raise her daughter. They treated my client as if they were her aunt."
(Getty Images/PhotoAlto)The lawyer labelled the parents' allegations that Sciabica was "sexually grooming" their daughter as "absolutely outrageous."
He added: "My client has faithfully and professionally taught students for the better part of 15 years. She has an unblemished record and has received countless messages of support since these charges have been brought. We are confident that when all of the facts and relevant evidence are heard in a court of law, and not on social media, the truth will come out and my client will be completely exonerated."