N.B. teacher arrested for sexual assault
Engelson, also a soccer coach, allegedly had relations with 17-year-old student
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer
Apsychology teacher and junior varsity soccer coach was arrested at North Brunswick Township High School Dec. 13 on charges of sexual misconduct with a student.

Matthew Engelson

Matthew Engelson, 30, of Lawrenceville, was charged with second-degree official misconduct and sexual assault after an alleged meeting with a 17-year-old North Brunswick student in South Brunswick on Dec. 8.

High school officials notified the township police department that Engelson was exchanging sexually explicit instant messages with a student by way of computer, according to a release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, although school officials would not comment if the computer was a personal one or one owned by the school. The investigation established that the conversations began in October, and at some point communication by way of cell phone began. The two are believed to have engaged in a sexual act two weeks ago, according to the release.

According to Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski, 20 minutes after interim Principal Brian Brotschul received information last Thursday about the possible incident, the police notified the Prosecutor's Office. He said that by about 1:30 or 2 p.m. that afternoon arrest procedures were in place. He said, "There was no pending investigation" beforehand.

"Nothing is more sacred than the bond and trust parents have in the school district, and the people they give their children to every day," Zychowski said during a special community meeting on Friday night. "What makes this more significant is the supervisory relationship with the child, which makes this criminal."

Engelson began as a history teacher on Sept. 1, 2005, and coached the soccer team beginning in 2006. His psychology and human behavior classes will now be taught by a tenured teacher from the department, according to interim Principal Brian Brotschul. The students taking the Advanced Placement test in the spring will be catered to, and any upper classmen who relied on Engelson, who has not yet been arraigned but who will not be allowed near the school district based on the official charges, for college admission letters will be redirected to the social studies and guidance departments to have them written. The soccer team will be addressed as well.

"We want to ensure the flow of instructional practices flow at a seamless rate," Brotschul said.

Zychowski said the district will now focus on three goals to try to prevent this from happening again, although it is being deemed as an isolated incident. He said the professionalism between children and adults must be reemphasized through training; communication with students must be enhanced because they are the "ears and eyes" of the school; and parents must remain involved in their children's lives, knowing their whereabouts and the dangers of technology.

"There are predators out there who seize the moment and use that technology to prey on our children," Zychowski, a father of six, said.

"I implore parents to have conversations with their children about what's going on in their world," Brotschul added. "I do believe conversation and dialogue is our best defense and most mobile offense."

However, Brotschul assured parents that the school has "175 incredible teachers. We have 175 professionals who I've learned from, who I've collaborated with and who I've grown with. We have 175 who have shown me the power of people and 175 who have shown me specifically how to impact the lives of young children."

Zychowski also explained that all teachers have criminal history and background checks completed, whether they are certified or noncertified, permanents or substitutes. He said the county releases a report on a monthly basis of those adults who become discredited, and that if Engelson had a prior history, he would have already been disqualified.

He also noted that Engelson is innocent until proven guilty, and if he is innocent he could legally be reinstated. However, Zychowski said that in this type of situation there are different levels of innocence, so if no criminal activity is determined, there is still a school level of inappropriateness. He said that Engelson is fully suspended and is not able to procure a job elsewhere.

Although one parent said during the meeting that "girls have been out to get this teacher for years" - to which a number of parents at the meeting nodded their heads - Zychowski said that the professional staff is just that, the professional staff, and he described the situation as "unacceptable" and "intolerable."

"The victim is truly the victim. There is no blame to the victim because the young person was a student and clearly our professional was out of line," he said. "Our young people are being misled and we truly have to be better than the young people. We are their role models."

He added, "I often preach that the best teachers are teachers that can connect with students … but also we expect from our professionals that the professionalism begins and ends at a line."

Brotschul said that counseling will be available for students, athletes and Engelson's colleagues, and explained the importance of the school's anonymous tip line, (732) 289- 3709. Credit was also given to the new emergency notification system in town, which alerted parents of the situation via phone blasts and the district's Web site, which was a concern during a lockdown situation in April in which someone threatened to shoot up the school.

"The therapeutic lens is a lens we're going to be looking through for a very long time," the principal said.

Brotschul also mentioned that the school is in the process of writing a safe dating grant through the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Foundation, which will target 15- to 19-yearolds to help them make healthy choices and navigate uncomfortable decisions when in a relationship.

"I want to make sure as the superintendent that we will never compromise the primary learning environment," Zychowski said.

Anyone concerned about his or her child should contact Brotschul at (732) 289- 3700.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should call North Brunswick Police Detective William Lovas at (732) 247- 0922, ext. 313, or sex crimes investigator Michael Daniewicz at (732) 745- 3600.