She should see her priest for counseling.

Thank you Mr. O'Neill. You are right. Why did she not get jail time? Because it's a "she". You can be if this were a 33 year old man having sex with his 15 year old female student, he'd be in jail, plea bargain and all. That's why there are so many of these stories recently. There is no deterrent since most of these female teachers get probation and nothing more while men would be put in jail for years.

Mr. O'Niel is right. In this case mercy for the guilty is a lack of justice for the viticm.

I find these are caucasian women that looks wanton to the people that attempts to convict them. So, if they were to meet at a later time in a bar, the judge or prosecutor
would make a play and remind them of their ordeal in the past. So, this is a open act of testing out with pleasure of to sadisfy these women's desires on a older scale. Bill,

While Mr. O'Neill's outrage as an educator is understandable, we must all understand that each such case is different and we are not privy to the evidence or testimony that may, or may not, have been presented at trial.

Perhaps the most salient point here is that the parents of the young man are satisfied with the outcome and he is spared the trauma of testifying in court.

For those suggesting the sentence is too lenient and/or that male offenders are treated differently, do know that DePalo's sentence remains significant and has marked her for life...and that her's is a life now in shambles.

Mr. Oneil get your district inorder! Your schools are failing the kids, not only this teacher. We need to see progress. What have you done for WO since you were appointed to interim. Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wasting taxpayers money and condeming a teacher. He without sin cast the first stone. I am sorry for this poor young lady. No one deserve supervision for life. Sex with a minor is bad, but she did not rape him.

Its Sad when a County votes for a Woman for Prosecutor ( And that woman doesn't do her Job ) And gives a Sexual Offender a Slap on the Hand because she's a ( Woman )--That Prosecutor should be Impeached & If I was a Parent or Teacher or Kid in that County --I would feel Affraid for the Kids & People in that County --As the Prosecutor will let Women get away with Crimes that they wouldn't let Men get away with --If that Teacher had of Been a Man that same Office would of tried to get him 20 Years to Life ---She needs to be Impeached

TO The People of Essex County ,NJ --- You should Impeach that Woman Prosecutor & get a Man in their Who won;t Care about a Criminals Sex but who'll Focus on their Crime & Protecting the People & Kids of the County

John mitchelle and john anthony prignano:

Your criticism of Mr. O'Neill is both unwarranted and clearly not germane to the content of this article.

In terms of how both he and the WOBOE handled this particular matter, they have all that they could and should have done under existing rules, regulations and law.

Any individual can go "off the reservation" in some egregious way at any time and it is simply absurd to think that their friends, family or employer are somehow culpable and/or in any position to stop or prevent them from doing so.

Let's keep in mind that these crimes didn't happen at center court in the school gym but, in a private residence and after school recessed for the summer.

Gary Englert;"I'm simply suggesting that the 15 year old victim engaged in this activity { if it indeed occurred } of his own free will,and absent any mental impairment,knew exactly what he was doing.The "age of consent " in New jersey is 16; are you really trying to tell me a few months, or even a year,make that much difference in the decision making process? I really don't think it does ..... just sayin'" Englert's suggesting that the 15 year old victim engaged in this activity of his own free will.....if it took place at all????? - A hypothetical on someone's innermost thoughts and actions, based on a hypothetical. Wow. Really abhorrent comments. The woman admitted to endangering the welfare of a child, the child is her victim.

The above quote was made by Gary Englert on September 2, 2012. Dr. O'Neil has done nothing , zero, to improve the quality of education in West Orange. In my opinion, he is doing nothing more than grandstanding .He knows his indignation will change nothing, and he does not know all the facts in the case, far from it, and he doesn't know how and why the plea bargain was arrived at. Grandstanding by a paper tiger. Grammar schools and middle schools standardized test scores, instructional time,HSPAS,SATS ? Doctor, thrall us with your acumen and your plans. Show us you're not ineffectual.

I hope people have noticed that students have written in saying they went to different teachers to mentor them because quote; "They had nowhere else to turn. " I said ; Nowhere else to turn ??? Guidance counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, substance abuse coordinators, a Character Curriculum, anti - bullying and tolerance instruction, conflict resolution, outside agencies, clergy etc.etc. Get rid of these school employees who are virtually useless. State laws say that many { but far from all } of these people have to be there, BUT, they don't have to be Union members, the State has no specific ratio of students to guidance counselor, and so on . Outsource these jobs. Save money, lots of it, and give the powers - that - be the power to get rid of ineffectual and incompetent people.

Actually, it's not "Dr. O'Neill", it's "Mr. O'Neill". O'Neill holds a Masters Degree, not a Doctorate.

Status Quo Correctness is my vade mecum, so Mr. O'Neil it is.

john anthony prignano:

My comments (referenced above) were made months ago and part of an academic discussion of DePalo having (then) already been tried and convicted in the media and well prior to the action taken court yesterday.

That said, the issue of the victim's age remains relevant and was likely put into the equation when a plea bargain was reached.

In a county where 15 year olds are routinely tried as adults, and where one was recently held fully responsible for his actions, found guilty and sentenced to 195 years in prison, it would remain no small task to convince a jury that another 15 year old was anything less than fully responsible for his actions as a willing partner in a sexual relationship.

These arent "abhorent comments" but, a practical assessment of what prosecutors would face when trying to bring this matter to trial.

They are abhorrent comments. Mr. O'Neil is quoted in today's Star Ledger;" While the state is fixated on test results and revamping the evaluation system , we are faced with a decision that sends, at best, a disconcerting message about the tolerance the state has for such inappropriate behavior." The Prosecutor's office said each case is unique and stands on it's own set of facts. Assistant Prosecutor Tony Gutierrez said he had spoken with the boy's family and they were happy with the plea. O'Neil's comments are simply grandstanding by a paper tiger.What does the state's "fixation with test results and revamping the evaluation system" have to do with this case? The answer is,absolutely nothing. O'Neil just couldn't resist the opportunity to make yet another attack on educational standards. He has done nothing to improve education in West Orange, and I seriously doubt he ever will.

I am questioning Mr. O'Neil's sincerity and motives, and thus his "stated " opinion on the matter. " While the state is fixated on test results and revamping the evaluation system..." Ridiculous, and as far as I'm concerned, painfully obvious.

MILLIONS are spent on guidance counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, substance abuse coordinators, anti - bullying coordinators ,and anti - bullying and tolerance instruction. There is a character curriculum, there are outside counseling services,family, clergy, and on and on. Yet more than one student or former student of Ms. Depalo said Ms. Depalo was a wonderful mentor who was always there for them. One former student wrote; "Only those who were lacking saw their guidance counselors more than once a year." This former student also said they poured out their heart to Ms. Depalo, and Ms. Depalo taught them valuable lessons about life .This student wrote;"Therefore my need to defend her until I'm proven wrong and then being lawfully guilty does not prove moral guilt in my heart." Recently, a letter writer praised another teacher for being a mentor to students who felt " they had nowhere else to turn." Nowhere else to turn, nowhere else to turn..... For a great many reasons, a very, very sad situation.

I really don't see what business the school district has in commenting on the leniency of the prosecution for a case that happened during the summer. The most influential event in the case was that the student and the parents decided on their part to agree to a plea bargain. The student is the damaged party, not the school system. If the student and the parents are satisfied with the plea bargain, and see no reason to pursue a harsher ruling (which they very well could have), that is they're decision not the school districts decision.

Ralph:

Under the law, no physical/emotional/psychological harm must be inflicted on the victim for a teacher having sex with a student to constitute a crime.

We must, however, be mindful that people (read prospective jurors) do harbor their own prejudices and, yes, even support the age-old double standard with regard to men and women and sex.

There are simply a significant number of people who are disinclined to believe a 15 year old boy isn't fully ready, willing and able to have sex, regardless of the fact he may be below the age of consent...which many think is arbitrary and unrealstic.

Again, you just need one such person on a jury of 12 to lose and I'm sure this was a consideration when the plea agreement was negotiated and accepted.

barry_geltzeiler:

Your refering to Ms. DePalo as a "pedophile" is a label unfounded by anything that is common public knowledge at this point in time: a pedophile is someone of either sex whose primary sexual attraction is to pre-pubescent children...girls 10 years old, or less, and boys 11 years old, or less, on average.

Brett Murray:

I have more than passing familiarity with civil law, criminal law and the Uniform Code of Military justice and, if you reread and absorb precisely what I've written, you'll see I have no difficulty understanding who is responsible under the law.

What I also understand, however, is the fact that the intellectual capacity of jurors is as dissimilar as snowflakes and that you need 12 of them to agree to win a conviction at trial.

While the law is what the law is, people carry their innate prejudices with them into a jury deliberation and the result will be anyone's guess.

Of consequence, for all the reasons previously stated a plea agreement was accepted and I also fully understand the justifications for doing so and have tried to explain them.

Former West Orange High School teacher, Erica DePalo, 33, of Montclair, was sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence of parole with no jail time Monday afternoon, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. http://westorange.patch.com/articles/former-high-school-teacher-admits-to-sex-with-student-gets-parole