BRIDGETON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The Upper Deerfield School District in Cumberland County held its first school board meeting on Tuesday since a janitor was arrested for allegedly contaminating students’ lunches.
Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, was arrested last month on allegations that he sprayed bleach and put human waste and fluids on school food and utensils, according to investigators. He worked as a janitor at Elizabeth Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township since 2019.
Parents filled the cafeteria of Woodruff School Tuesday night and grilled Superintendent Dr. Peter Koza, but he said there was only so much he could say, given that the investigation is still ongoing.
“We have the choice to be united rather than divided,” he said, “maintaining the hope we have for our children.”
Some parents asked for a more vigorous hiring process. Others questioned communication from the district, and how quickly schools and affected items were cleaned.
The Cumberland County Health Department took samples from Impellizzeri and determined he is “not likely” to pose any health risks. Additional tests are pending.
One parent commented: “If there was a gas leak, we would have shut down the school. If there was mold, we would have shut down the school. The school [was] shut down for COVID. We should have just shut down immediately, give everyone time to heal, time to be with their families, time to figure this out. And then open up when the schools were safe.”
The school board officially voted to terminate Impellizzeri. Six board members voted “yes” and one abstained due to a conflict of interest, the superintendent said.
“While we share the community’s anger and disgust by the actions made by one individual, we will continue to move forward, remain resilient and support each other to overcome this unfathomable incident,” school board President Anthony Buono told parents.
Impellizzeri is facing a number of charges, including child endangerment and aggravated assault.