Superintendent La'Quetta Small talks with state monitor Carole Morris before a school board meeting.
A special Atlantic City Board of Education meeting took a small step toward addressing the superintendent's employment in the wake of criminal charges against her and her husband.
But the board still ended its third meeting since the charges of endangerment and abuse were filed without mentioning them.
Dr. La'Quetta Small and Mayor Marty Small are accused of assaulting their 16-year-old daughter on several occasions, including the mayor allegedly knocking the girl unconscious with a broom.
The issue was not addressed at the first regular board meeting last month.
Last week, during the budget presentation, the board voted to appoint special counsel to advise them on employment matters concerning the superintendent.
That seemed to clear the way for the issue to finally be publicly addressed when Thursday's special meeting wa announced.
Instead, the meeting began with an executive session that Small attended.
She was the last to return to the dais following the 40-minute break, with solicitor Tracy Riley going through the door where the private session is held, and coming back in accompanied by Small.
The board then voted on a Doctrine of Necessity, which allows board members to participate in an issue in which they are conflicted.
Five board members have conflicts on issues pertaining to the superintendent due to family members working for the district and, therefore, are overseen by Small.
The conflicted members are Board President Shay Steele, Patricia Bailey, Walter Johnson, Kashawn McKinley and Ruth Byard, who has three family members employed in the district.
The doctrine will allow the full board to participate in matters pertaining to the superintendent.
The board then adjourned without further action.
Steele first offered a "no comment" when asked what happened.
But when pressed as to whether the doctrine meant the board could vote on the superintendent at a future meeting, he replied: "The doctrine allows board members to participate in that process."
The board also has not publicly addressed criminal charges against High Principal Constance Days-Chapman, although she is no longer in her position.
As a principal, she is a mandatory reporter, meaning she must report any allegations to the state.
Steele said at last month's regular meeting that they could not discuss Days-Chapman because she had not been Riced, a notification that is required to discuss an employee in public. It still is not clear how she was removed.
