Judge Clears School of Liability in Student's Off-Campus Death
By Matt Green
Published on September 30, 2005
Charlotte Gilmore contends Camden High School officials could've prevented the death of her 14-year-old daughter, Shanina, who was abducted and killed around October 2001.
The lawsuit said school officials should've told the mother that Shanina skipped school for two weeks. It also said the state Division of Youth and Family Services should've monitored Shanina to ensure she was attending class.
State Superior Court Judge Charles Little ruled the state's Tort Claims Act shields them from negligence claims. Gilmore will appeal the ruling.
Shanina, a frequent truant, should've been placed in a residential program for repeatedly skipping school, according to an agreement between Shanina and the family court.
The complaint alleges Shanina stopped attending school on Oct. 1, 2001, but that district officials did not advise Gilmore of the development until Nov. 2 of that year. In 2002, Shanina's body washed ashore at a beach in Margate.
District policy requires school officials to advise parents of unexcused student absences on the day they occur, according to Gilmore's complaint.
A state arbitrator in June found the school district liable, awarding Gilmore $50,000 in damages. The district declined to pay.
No one has been charged in Shanina's slaying, and the investigation remains open.
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