N.J. school district refuses to say how much it paid to settle sex abuse claims, new lawsuit says

A South Jersey school district is being sued for allegedly refusing to release settlement agreements in lawsuits tied to sexual abuse by a former teacher now serving a prison sentence.

John Paff, who publishes the government-transparency site Transparency NJ, filed the public-records lawsuit against the Lawrence Township Board of Education after it denied his request for copies of settlement agreements in three civil cases.

Paff said he is seeking only the financial terms and believes victims’ names can be redacted.

“I don’t care about any of that,” Paff said. “I just want to know how much money [the school board] paid.”

He added that he routinely requests such agreements without issue.

“I ask for these settlement agreements routinely, like every week, and I get them without anybody ever denying them,” Paff said.

The underlying lawsuits stem from allegations that Derek Hildreth, a former Lawrence Township teacher and coach, sexually abused students in the late 1990s and early 2000s — allegations that led to criminal charges and a prison term.

Hildreth was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in state prison under a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to four counts, including three first-degree aggravated sexual assault charges and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

As part of the agreement, 29 additional charges were dismissed.

At least six victims were included in a 33-count indictment against Hildreth, who initially faced 30 years in state prison.

Hildreth is eligible for parole in 2028, according to New Jersey prison records.

The abuse spurred three lawsuits filed in 2012, 2017 and 2020.

Paff contends the settlement agreements in these cases are government records subject to disclosure under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act. In the lawsuit, he says the board rejected his request by citing exemptions for victims’ records.

In a written response to Paff, the district’s records official said the school board does not have a copy of the settlement from the 2020 lawsuit and that documents in the other two cases are protected by a non-disclosure clause and potentially, a confidentiality order.

The case asks a judge to decide whether settlement agreements resolving lawsuits against a public school district must be released under OPRA with appropriate redactions.

The school board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.