STAFFORD – George Chidiac, the Stafford Township School District superintendent, has voluntarily taken a paid leave of absence following his DUI arrest late last month. The decision, announced by Board of Education President Tammy Wagner during the November 18 board meeting, aims to ensure minimal disruption to the district.
After a brief Executive Session at the start of the meeting, Wagner read a statement saying that the Board of Education had worked diligently alongside the superintendent to provide exceptional learning opportunities for the district’s children. She added that the board intended to provide a seamless educational experience.
“I am sure you have noticed that Mr. Chidiac is absent from the meeting,” said Wagner. “In an effort to not be a distraction within the district, Mr. Chidiac has informed the board and the county superintendent that he will be taking a temporary leave of absence, effective immediately.”
Originally scheduled to take place at Oxycocus Elementary School, the meeting was moved to the Stafford Township Arts Center (STAC) after online discussions suggested that a larger crowd might attend to voice their opinions. While the auditorium was filled early in the meeting as families gathered to celebrate their children’s achievements, most attendees left after the awards segment, leaving the venue far from capacity.
A revised contract for Chidiac, initially on the board’s agenda for the evening, was removed before the meeting. The contract was intended to include additional compensation tied to his dual role as superintendent of both the Stafford and Eagleswood school districts under a shared services agreement.
Wagner noted that Chidiac’s existing contract, which was renewed in 2022, would remain in effect. The agreement, set to run through the 2026-2027 school year, includes an annual salary of $222,849 during the final year of its term.
DUI Incident Details
Chidiac’s leave follows his arrest on October 27 in Berkeley Township. According to the Incident/Investigation Report obtained from the Berkeley Township Police Department, officers were dispatched to the scene when someone called in to report a power outage. The caller also stated hearing the sounds of a crash and a loud noise that sounded like a transformer blowing up.
When police arrived, they found a vehicle with its front end smashed as a result of colliding with a utility pole, which was knocked over from the crash. The responding officer noted that no one was at the crash scene, and an off-duty officer who happened to be near the location mentioned noticing someone leaving the area.
Chidiac was located and asked why he was leaving the crash site, to which he responded he was going home to get help. During the interaction, officers noted Chidiac had a raspy voice and had a difficult time completing answers to questions. He confirmed that the vehicle involved in the crash belonged to him. Despite having a cell phone, Chidiac disclosed he had not called emergency services, stating, “because it just happened.”
During questioning, Chidiac admitted to having “a couple of drinks” earlier in the evening at a Beachwood establishment roughly three miles from his home. The officer noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him, observed his incomplete sentences, and suspected he was impaired. Chidiac failed multiple field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.172% when he was tested at department headquarters. The charges against him include driving under the influence, reckless driving, and careless driving.
According to the district’s attorney, Martin J. Buckley, the terms of Chidiac’s contract require him to report all offenses, which he promptly did. However, Buckley also noted that, under New Jersey law, DUI is considered a traffic offense rather than a criminal charge unless it results in injury.
Chidiac’s charges are solely related to the state’s motor vehicle code and are due to be heard remotely in Berkeley Township Municipal Court on December 16.
Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
The DUI incident has reignited discussions about a 2019 civil lawsuit filed against Chidiac by a former district employee. In the complaint, the woman accused Chidiac of retaliating against her after she complained about receiving multiple texts and calls from him in the early morning of June 9, 2018. She claimed that Chidiac seemed intoxicated and wanted her to meet with him. The lawsuit further claimed that she rebuffed Chidiac, and he subsequently targeted and harassed her at work in a retaliatory manner.
The district’s insurance carrier settled the case for $425,000, although Chidiac denied the allegations.
Leadership Transition
Stephanie Bush, the district’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Planning, was appointed to take on the dual role of Acting Superintendent during Chidiac’s leave. She will also serve as the Eagleswood School District’s Acting Superintendent under the shared services agreement.
Buckley, the attorney, said the shared services agreement does not reference Chidiac by name – only that the two districts would share superintendents. Bush will receive an additional stipend for her expanded role, retroactive to her appointment.
During the meeting, only five members of the public spoke and took advantage of the three-minute time allotment. Retired teacher Barbara Crystal expressed disappointment, emphasizing the impact of Chidiac’s actions on the district’s reputation. She also spoke passionately about the need for accountability.
“As a special education teacher, I was taught the ABCs – antecedents, behaviors and consequences of addressing problematic behaviors,” Crystal said to the board. “I implore you all, to please consider behavioral consequences that could eliminate or deter the inappropriate, dangerous and possibly deadly behavior that has been exhibited by our superintendent.”
Crystal said that parents tell their children that their behaviors and decisions have consequences. She said the children are talking to each other and looking to see if adults are also subject to consequences.
Former board member Brett Novick echoed Crystal’s concerns. He said that children are being taught about character education, things like responsibility, respect and citizenship.
“We hold our children to this; we hold our faculty members and our administration even higher to these degrees,” shared Nowick. “Each of you has taken an oath of ethics and now our chief school administrator, who is supposed to be the role model of ethics for our children, for our community, has not only once, but twice, violated that.”
Nowick said that he believed in giving people second chances and believed that had already been done. He reminded the board that the children were watching.
One of the speakers offered an alternative viewpoint. McKinley Avenue School teacher Kerry Eck’art said she has been a teacher with the district for 25 years. “I am not here to defend Mr. Chidiac’s actions,” she added. “However, I am here to defend his character.”
Eck’art referred to social media posts that she considered cruel and hurtful. She didn’t agree with people stating that the kids deserve better or that the superintendent is not a good role model.
“Our students in Stafford love Mr. Chidiac,” emphasized Eck’art. “There are not many elementary schools that you can go to where the students even know who the superintendent is.”
Relating some of her personal interactions with the superintendent, Eck’s art offered her views of the difference between what some saw as the “business George” and not the “personal George.”
“You don’t see his heart,” Eck’art shared. “And maybe some of you have had unpleasant conversations with business George, and they may not have been lovely – but he is in a high profile, highly judged profession, with people coming at him constantly.”
“His job is not an easy one,” she continued. “His life is not a perfect one, and if yours is, please share your secret just like we try to teach our students.”
