WEST MILFORD — The youngest member of the Board of Education at 22, Matt Conlon straddles two spheres: the policy making world of the school board, and the high school community of which he was part a few years ago.
But it’s just that overlap that may prove to be his biggest challenge. Conlon is the subject of an ethics complaint that alleges he tried to use his influence to protect the teenage son of a friend from a Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying charge.
And it now appears that in the course of defending himself in that case, he may have misstated his relationship with the accused teenager. His statements to the New Jersey School Ethics Commission seem to be at odds with those he provided to the police and The West Milford Messenger while discussing a separate case.
The Bullying incident
On Oct. 16, 2012, Macopin Middle School informed the mother of a 7th grade girl that her daughter may have been racially bullied and harassed, a concern that was later substantiated after an inquiry by the school. In the ethics complaint, the mother alleged that Conlon had a close relationship with the student accused of bullying, and told his colleagues at a school board executive session on Oct. 22, 2012 that he had personal knowledge of the harassment and bullying matter. He said he had conducted an independent investigation whose results were at odds with an inquiry by the school. He urged the school board, that based on his knowledge, the charges shouldn’t be substantiated, the mother’s complaint said.
Conlon’s response
In his written response to the allegations about a year after the incident, Conlon denied he conducted an independent investigation or that he violated any ethics provisions. He declined to respond to allegations about what was said in executive session, citing the confidentiality of the meetings.
He also stated in his affidavit that he did not have a “close relationship” with the accused.
The party incident
Days after filing his response, Conlon attended a party hosted for the boy accused of bullying by his mother, someone Conlon has acknowledged he has known for a decade. The matter came to light after West Milford police questioned Conlon in an investigation on an unrelated matter.
At about 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, Conlon, a real estate agent in town, dropped by the Newfoundland area home where the party was being held for the 9th grader in the basement. He stayed for a few hours, sipping from the six-pack of beer he had brought with him as he chatted with the homeowner while her husband recuperated upstairs from surgery.
The party might have remained unnoticed except a girl alleged that a boy, who was also a guest, raped her when the two decided to step out for a stroll. The alleged rape victim and the accused boy are not the same as the bullying victim and the bully.
The rape allegations became the subject of a police investigation, which concluded that there was enough evidence to indict the boy. But the victim and her mother decided not to press charges for several reasons, including the possible trauma that might result to the victim and the impact on the boy’s life. The case was closed.
Police also investigated an allegation that alcohol was available at the party.
According to the police report, the alleged rapist said he was “in the bag” at the party. His mother filed a police complaint saying her son told her alcohol was available at the party. Police conducted an investigation, but it was several days later, and the matter was dropped because there was insufficient proof and no one pressed charges, according to Detective John Pesenti who investigated the case.
The Messenger has not identified the victim or the accused in both cases because they are minors. Their parents are also not being named to protect the identity of their children.
Conlon’s connection
Conlon’s name made it into the police report as a witness. He told investigators he did not know if the teens were drinking or smoking pot. He gave the same information to The Messenger, saying he didn’t interact with the teenagers but acknowledged they trooped up and down from the basement during his visit, drinking beverages from red plastic cups.
When asked if he thought that alcohol was consumed by the high school students, Conlon said that he wasn’t given to peering into people’s cups. In any case, he told The Messenger, he was at the home to visit a long-time, family friend.
“I don’t party with high school students,” he said when asked if he spent time with the teens at the party. “That’s a violation of my ethical and moral standards.”
The Messenger looked into the story several weeks ago but decided not to pursue it after learning the mother of the alleged rape victim did not wish to press charges.
But when a reporter asked Conlon why he was attending a party for teens, he told her and an editor in two separate conversations that he had no involvement in the party other than the fact that he was visiting “long-time” family friends he had known for 10 years. He also told police he had been invited because he was friends with the parents of the teen for whom the party was held.
But just days earlier, Conlon had sent a signed document to the New Jersey School Ethics Commission in which he denied he had a “close relationship” with the accused in the harassment complaint, by way of response to the allegation that he used his influence to protect the son of his friend, the same Newfoundland woman who hosted the party on Nov. 1.
A close relationship?
When asked about the discrepancy between what he told the police and The Messenger about his relationship with the family of the accused on one hand, and his response to the School Ethics Commission on the other, Conlon skirted the issue.
At first he said he did not recall signing the New Jersey School Ethics statement. Then he said the response was drafted by his lawyer, not him. And finally he said that different people had different interpretations of what a “close relationship” meant.
“Close relationship’ is subjective,” Conlon said. “Maybe the attorney’s interpretation of a close relationship is different from yours or mine.”
Conlon clarified he knew the family very well but that his friendship was limited to the mother, stepfather and the older daughter. He described his relationship with the accused as one between a coach and a player.
Conlon is a coach with Fast Break Basketball Camp and a volunteer coach with the West Milford High School basketball team. It wasn’t clear where Conlon had coached his friend’s son. Although Conlon worked at the PAL on a part-time basis, Bill Hempstead, the president of West Milford PAL, said Conlon had never coached for the league. Hempstead said Conlon has not worked at PAL for nearly 15 months.
ETHICS CHARGE BACKED UP
Jim Foody, a former school board member who attended the meeting and executive session, provided a signed affidavit to the School Ethics Commission supporting the mother’s version of events at the closed door session regarding the bullying.
“Conlon disclosed that he undertook an informal investigation since he knew both children involved …as well as the mother of the alleged perpetrator because of his employment at West Milford PAL … Conlon provided an account of what happened between the children based upon his conversation with the children and the parent of the alleged perpetrator … and provided his opinion on whether the Board should vote to substantiate the racial … incident.”
The vice president of the school board and the board of education attorney then told Conlon he should abstain from discussion and voting on the issue because of his personal knowledge, according to the complaint. Conlon did not vote on the resolution, according to the minutes of the meeting, which do not provide a reason for the abstention. The school board voted to substantiate the bullying charges against the accused.