The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has moved to dismiss all remaining indictments against Atlantic City Schools Superintendent La’Quetta Small and Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman, a decision that spares the city’s first family further criminal trials and leaves unresolved accusations of a systemic cover-up.
The request, submitted to a judge on Friday, follows the acquittal last month of Mayor Marty Small on charges he beat his teenage daughter with a broom and made terroristic threats. The prosecutor cited the daughter’s wishes, the prior verdict, and a recent racial threat against her as the reasons to drop the cases.
“We believe it is prudent and responsible to dismiss the remaining indictments,” Prosecutor William Reynolds said in a statement, adding that the intent is to allow the victim, her family, and the community “the time to heal and move forward”.
The legal saga, which has gripped this seaside city for two years, now concludes not with a jury’s verdict on the actions of a school superintendent and a principal, but with a prosecutor’s concession to familial and political pressure. The dismissal marks the end of a case that laid bare allegations of violent domestic discipline and failures in mandated reporting by high-ranking officials.
A Case Built and Then Abandoned
The prosecutor’s office had pursued the cases vigorously since receiving a mandatory referral from the state’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency in January 2024. The mayor’s daughter, Jada Small, testified for hours in December, describing a pattern of abuse that began after her parents discovered messages between her and a boyfriend. She told jurors her father struck her legs and later hit her with a broom during an argument over attending a city event, an incident she said left her with a welt on her face.
Evidence presented by the state included video recordings of arguments and Instagram messages in which the teen wrote, “I’m scared to get in the shower because my bruise will burn” and “I don’t feel safe here”. An expert witness for the prosecution was prepared to testify that injuries on the girl’s body were definitively caused by another person using an object.
La’Quetta Small was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault for her alleged role. Principal Days-Chapman, who is the mayor’s former campaign manager, was charged with official misconduct for allegedly failing to report the abuse allegations to state authorities and instead informing the girl’s parents.
The Reunion and The Threat
The legal landscape shifted dramatically on Dec. 18, 2025, when a jury found Mayor Marty Small not guilty on all counts after roughly two days of deliberation. Outside the courthouse, the mayor shouted, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, jury”.
Weeks later, at the mayor’s swearing-in ceremony for a new term he won while under indictment, a public family reunion unfolded. Jada Small stood with her mother and younger brother beside her father, who led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to her. The mayor said the family spent New Year’s Eve together and had begun “the healing process”.
Prosecutor Reynolds stated that his office met with Jada Small, who recently turned 18, as required by the New Jersey Victim Bill of Rights. He said the decision to seek dismissal was based on her wishes.
A new factor also emerged: a racially charged threat made against Jada Small on social media last week pertaining to her accusations. “While we actively investigate this threat,” Reynolds said, “we believe it is no longer in her best interest both emotionally and perhaps even physically for us to continue”.
Questions of Justice and “Political Prosecution”
The dismissals were met with starkly different reactions from the defense attorneys. Michael Schreiber, attorney for La’Quetta Small, said he was “happy they decided to do the right thing” and argued the matter belonged in family court, not criminal court.
Lee Vartan, attorney for Constance Days-Chapman, declared “complete and total vindication.” He said, “We have said from the beginning that this was a political prosecution, and [Days-Chapman] was collateral damage. The prosecutor knew that when the jury heard all the facts, [Days-Chapman] would be acquitted. That is why he dismissed the case”. He added that his client looks forward to returning to her post at the high school.
The prosecutor’s statement maintained that the office investigated “honestly and impartially” and that Jada Small “testified to her truth,” which was “corroborated with impartial substantiating evidence”.
However, the statement ultimately concluded that the jury’s verdict and the victim’s current wishes must guide the path forward.
The motions to dismiss are now before a Superior Court judge for review and approval.
With their dismissal, no remaining criminal proceedings will publicly examine the specific allegations against the school superintendent or adjudicate the principal’s alleged failure to report abuse, leaving the official record of these events defined not by a verdict, but by a retreat.