Benjamin Norton taught at Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District and Lodi High School.
State Superior Court appellate judges have upheld a decision to revoke a teacher's license after state agencies determined that the teacher acted inappropriately with students.
The ruling reaffirms the decision made by the State Board of Examiners, the state's educator licensing agency, and upheld by the commissioner of Education, in 2014 to revoke the teaching license of Benjamin Norton.
Norton taught at Ramapo-Indian Hills Regional High School District in the spring of 2002 and at Lodi High School in the fall of 2002 through 2007.
"We affirm because the agency decision was supported by substantial credible evidence and the commissioner acted within his discretion in upholding the sanction of a revocation," the court wrote in its decision.
In 2007, Norton was charged with sexually assaulting a student he had chaperoned during a class trip to Cape Cod, but a jury acquitted him after a trial in 2011.
Afterward, the attorney representing the female student sent documents to the state's education commissioner. The matter was forwarded to the board, which asked Norton to show why his license shouldn't be revoked.
Norton contested, and the matter was reviewed by the Office of Administrative Law which found that, in the 2002 and 2003 school years, Norton:
- Allowed students to drink alcohol on several school trips
- Failed to discipline or report students for smoking marijuana on the trip
- Tried to convince two females students to take off their bathing suit tops on a school trip
- Told the female students about a sex act his wife performed on him during a school trip
- Provided test answers to some of his students
The Administrative Law judge determined in 2013 that Norton's license should be revoked and Norton appealed.
Norton's attorney didn't immediately return a request for comment. Lodi High School District didn't return a request for comment and Ramapo declined to comment.
Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.