Atlantic City superintendent La’Quetta Small appeared at a school board meeting alongside husband, Mayor Marty Small, for the first time since they were charged for allegedly abusing their teen daughter. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville went to the meeting to try to get some answers from the couple on the allegations.
Officials with the board of the Atlantic City Public Schools were tight lipped on Tuesday night as La'Quetta Small, the schools superintendent -- joined by her husband, Mayor Marty Small -- attended her first school board meeting since the pair were charged with abusing their teenaged daughter.
On Monday night, NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville attended the meeting -- though school board president Shay Steele repeatedly refused to comment on the situation.
"We have no comment on personnel matters. We can’t comment on it," Shay told NBC10.
Both Smalls were charged after, officials claimed, they physically and emotionally harmed their 16-year-old daughter.
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The couple maintains their innocence and they have denied any wrongdoing.
Mayor Small, again, gave no comment when approached by NBC10 on Tuesday. However, he appeared to be in good spirits when talking to members of the audience during the event.
"Everything is great," the mayor could be heard in reply to someone who asked how he was doing.
According to court documents, Small hit his daughter several times in the head with a broom, punching her in the legs and knocking her unconscious.
The incident happened, police said, as the mayor and his wife were said the be angry over their daughter’s relationship with a boy who she refused to stop seeing.
The criminal affidavit for the school superintendent accuses La'Quetta Small of dragging her daughter by the hair and beating her with a belt on her shoulders.
On Tuesday, the school superintendent did not address the crowd about her charges.
Also, during public comment, no one in attendance said anything about the matter.
Asked if Small should still be holding public office amid these accusations, Shay again offered no comment.
Also, in connection to the charges against the Smalls, former Atlantic City High School principal Constance Days Chapman waived her right to a hearing on Tuesday.
She’s facing charges for failing to notify the right agencies when a student told her she had been physically abused by her family.
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