Criminal Background Check Names Haven't Been Released, But One More School Board Member Failed the Test

The NJ Department of Education still hasn't released who failed to fill out a form allowing a criminal background check. 

"We are still finalizing the list," said Allison Kobus, spokesman for the department late Wednesday.

But she did release the name of a school board member who underwent a criminal background check and failed it: Steve Rogan, who sat on the Keansburg Board.

Under state law, Rogan is now disqualified to keep his board of education sit because he has something in his past that came up during the criminal background search.

Rogan could not be reached for comment.

Kobus said that the reason for the disqualification is not given out according to the statute.

While Rogan is disqualified, any of the now 208 board of education members and 153 charter school trustees who missed the filing deadline are considered to be ineligible to sit on their respective boards.

The difference is that Rogan may never sit on a board of education again, barring him getting the legal problem expunged from his record, whereas the ineligible members who didn't fill out a form for the background check can still be reappointed to their old jobs. 

"There's nothing in the law that prevents them from doing that," Kobus said. If that should happen, the clock would start all over again on the criminal background check requirement. The newly reappointed board member would have 30 days from the date of appointment to fill out the form.

Of those who completed the background check, Rogan's addition to the list makes it 13 who have been disqualified from holding office: ten who sat on school boards and three who were trustees for charter schools.

The disqualified board of education members so far are: 

Public School Board Members

Remond Palmer                               Asbury Park School District

Rasheed Abdul-Haqq                       Plainfield School District

Joseph Toland                                 Somers Point School District

Steven Troilo                                  Laurel Springs School District

Richard Schaffer                              Ringwood School District

Dino Capaldi                                   Winslow Township School District

George Crouch                                Atlantic City School District

Victor Verlezza                                 Long Hill School District

Alvin Garlic                                     Woodbury BOE Gloucester

Charter School Trustees 

Kevin Kelleher                                   Red Bank Charter School

Louis Klause                                      Charter Tech HS Somers Point

Lawrence Bryant                                Academy for Urban Leadership