The Jersey Journal reports, “that on March 2, the students in teacher Debbie Noone’s class gathered in a circle while the young girl performed oral sex on the boy and allowed at least two other boys to kiss and fondle her breasts, among other acts.”

Parents of boy in school sex game plan to sue
By Journal staff
03/20/01

NORTH BERGEN - The parents of a 15-year-old boy who plan to sue the school system say their son was the victim when a female classmate performed oral sex on him as two other boys fondled the girl mere feet from the teacher.

“From the start, my son has maintained that he wasn’t participating in the game, but that he was writing at his desk and he felt the girl come under his table,” the boy’s mother said. To preserve the boy’s anonymity, neither his mother nor his father was identified during a conference call last week with their West New York attorney.

Fernando Jimenez, the attorney, advised the mother not to detail her son’s reaction but rather discuss other aspects of the March 2 incident at North Bergen High School.

She said she feels the school’s 10-day suspension of her son was excessive and heavy-handed, but she accepted it initially because she was still in shock over what happened.

“I’ve asked him, and he said that more has taken place. After the problem, more has come to light,” the father said, although he could not be specific.

A spokesman for the school, Craig Schmalz, declined to comment.

The planned suit stems from reports that on March 2, the students in teacher Debbie Noone’s class gathered in a circle while the young girl performed oral sex on the boy and allowed at least two other boys to kiss and fondle her breasts, among other acts. The class was composed of students from the HOPES program, an alternative education program designed for 14- and 15-year-old grammar school children who are not able to participate in the regular high school curriculum.

Noone, in her 30s, who officials have said was oblivious to what her students were doing, will not face criminal charges but has been reassigned to non-teaching duties. School officials are waiting to receive police reports before deciding whether to institute disciplinary measures.

Although he said he has not yet filed the preliminary notices with the township or the school system, Jimenez said the boy’s family intends to sue. The mother - who learned of the incident five days after it took place - and her son were interviewed by school and police officials.

The parents said both mother and son signed statements they made to police but never received copies.

“They tell me it’s not their policy to release statements because it’s an ongoing investigation, which means I must now file a suit to get it through discovery,” Jimenez said.

The family has lived in North Bergen for about 12 years and said they never expected anything like this to happen.

“I was called at work. It really had a bad affect on me. I felt lost . . . disoriented,” said the mother. “When I asked what happened, he (the detective) said a group of students played a game where they had oral sex, and that’s what really hit me.”

2001 The Jersey Journal.