MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown High School teacher has lost her tenure and been dismissed following a March incident in which she allegedly struck a student and locked him in a classroom, court documents show.
Hui-Tzu (Isabella) Chen’s termination from the Morris School District was upheld last week after the state Department of Education issued an opinion supporting the district’s allegations.
The 14-page opinion, issued by arbitrator James McKeever, states that despite the wrongful confinement and physical assault of the student, Chen’s refusal to fully acknowledge the severity of her misconduct justifies her termination.
According to court documents, Chen was suspended in June after an “inappropriate altercation” with a 14-year-old male student, identified as J.H., in March. During the incident, she physically blocked the student from leaving her classroom and was seen grabbing and hitting him.
The incident stemmed from Chen’s belief that J.H. had cheated on a worksheet assigned in her freshman Mandarin class. After confronting J.H. about copying the assignment from a classmate, J.H. said he wanted to leave and go to lunch, but Chen did not allow him to leave.
Chen then removed the “magnet” from the door (used during lockdowns) to lock it from the inside, preventing anyone from entering. She also stood in front of the door to block students from seeing through the window.
At this point, documents show that J.H. called a friend for help. Chen allowed the student into the room, where he witnessed Chen “grabbing and hitting” J.H.
The friend contacted a school resource officer, identified as “Officer Little,” who responded to the scene. Little told investigators that he observed Chen yelling and physically blocking the view through the locked classroom door, preventing anyone from seeing inside.
Little also stated that he heard J.H. tell Chen he would finish the assignment on Friday, to which Chen replied, saying “that he was a liar and that she did not believe him.”
Principal Mark Manning was informed of the situation and met with Chen, her supervisor and a union representative to discuss the incident.
During the meeting, Manning said Chen admitted to blocking the door with her body to prevent J.H. from leaving the classroom and acknowledged that she “may have” slapped him on the forearm when he attempted to exit, according to court records.
The investigation also revealed that Chen had previously been found guilty of mocking a student for being overweight in front of the class, a violation of the district’s harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy, according to Manning.
Superintendent Anne Mucci stated that Chen’s behavior undermined the school’s mission to provide a safe environment for all students, and her lack of remorse justified the decision to terminate her employment and prevent her from continuing to teach in the district.
Court records indicate that Chen maintains the incident was an isolated lapse in judgment, asserting she was a well-intentioned teacher who made a mistake while trying to help a student stay on track in his studies.
Chen argues that the termination is unjust, contending that the district’s claim of her lack of remorse is unfair, as the district’s witnesses never directly asked her if she felt remorseful.
“I find Respondent’s defense that she did not express any remorse because ‘no one had asked her’ if she was in fact remorseful, troubling and unpersuasive as it does not inspire any confidence that Respondent would not repeat this type of conduct in the future,” McKeever wrote.
McKeever further stated that he found the physical contact Chen used against J.H. to be intentional, and that it appeared to be a punitive measure for J.H.’s decision to leave the classroom after being told not to.
“This is unacceptable. Thus, I find that the penalty of termination is warranted,” McKeever wrote.
