Woodbridge Teacher Arrested For Submitting Fake Note About Masks

Woodbridge NJ

27 September, 2021

4:25 PM

Description

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Woodbridge public school teacher has been arrested and criminally charged with forgery and tampering with public records after police say she handed in a fake doctor's note stating why she did not have to wear a mask in school. The teacher is Gayle Hadley, 53, of Toms River, who teaches in the Woodbridge school district. She was arrested last Thursday, and charged with one count of fourth-degree uttering and one count of fourth-degree falsifying medical records, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Woodbridge Police Director Robert Hubner. "Following concerns raised by the district's administration, an investigation by Detective Andrew Kondracki of the Woodbridge Police Department determined that on September 8, Hadley, who was employed as a teacher for the Woodbridge Public School District, submitted a forged doctor's letter to the district in which she claimed a fictitious medical exemption from the district's mask policy," read a release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office announcing her arrest. The state teachers' union, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is providing Hadley with a free lawyer, said NJEA spokeswoman Dawn Hiltner. That's all she would say on the matter, citing that it is a criminal case. "As much as I would like to discuss this matter with you, we are prohibited from sharing details of sensitive personnel matters," said Woodbridge schools superintendent Dr. Joe Massimino, when asked about Hadley's arrest. Gov. Murphy's Executive Order 251 requires that anyone inside a New Jersey school building wear a mask at all times. Before Hadley was arrested, Acting NJ Attorney General Andrew Bruck sent a letter to all New Jersey county prosecutors, telling them local police must enforce mask wearing inside school buildings at all times. All New Jersey schoolteachers have until Oct. 18 to show proof they have been vaccinated, or consent to being tested for coronavirus up to twice weekly. Patch has asked the NJ Attorney General multiple times to see this letter, but has so far been denied. But the president of the New Brunswick school board confirmed the Middlesex County prosecutor admonished him in a "stern" written warning in late August for not wearing a mask at a BOE meeting. The letter was signed by the acting Attorney General Bruck. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's office declined to comment further on Hadley's arrest. Gov. Murphy's office and the office of AG Bruck did not immediately respond to further questions about Hadley's arrest. The investigation is active. Anyone with information is asked to call Kondracki at 732-643-7700. Prior: NJ Prosecutor Reprimands BOE President For Not Wearing Mask (Sept. 21) Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: [email protected]