In re Allegation of Physical Abuse of L.R‪.‬

Appellants in these fourteen consolidated appeals are teachers presently or formerly employed by the Newark school district who were charged with committing acts of child abuse upon their students. The school district referred those charges to the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), which conducted investigations through its Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit. Although DYFS concluded that the abuse allegations had not been substantiated, it also concluded that the teachers conduct had placed their students at "undue risk of harm." Consequently, DYFS made findings in each case that the abuse allegations were "not substantiated" but also expressed "concerns" regarding the teachers conduct. DYFS sent letters reporting these findings to the teachers, the school district and the alleged abused students parents and guardians. DYFS letters to the school district also set forth remedial action the district should take to address DYFS concerns, such as administrative counseling, monitoring and retraining of the teachers. The nature of DYFS reports to the district are discussed in greater detail later in this opinion.