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  Burlington Co. Teacher's Child Porn Charges Prompt Meeting
School District Says Teacher Won't Return to Classroom

NBC 10
April 28, 2008

http://www.nbc10.com/news/16044633/detail.html

LUMBERTON, N.J. -- A Burlington County school held a closed-door meeting with parents on Monday after a beloved teacher was indicted on federal child pornography charges.

NBC 10 reported that when federal agents showed up at Joe Macanga's house, they said they had already made contact with the popular Lumberton Middle School teacher in a chatroom visited by pedophiles. When FBI officials said they found 300 images of child pornography on Macanga's home computer, agents said he confessed.

"Joe Macanga was the one person you would not ever picture to be arrested for child pornography," said Betsy Kapulskey of the Lumberton School District.

The school district said Macanga would not be returning to the classroom, but they cannot formally take any action until the federal case against him is finished. There was no answer at the teacher's Lumberton home Monday night, NBC 10 reported.

When Macanga was late last week, the questions about the language arts teacher and basketball coach -- and one-time priest -- swirled.

"I just want to get the rumors straight," said student Letisha Ashe. "Because I've heard a lot of rumors, so I just want to come and see what really happened."

Ashe's family, as well as others, came to a closed meeting with the Lumberton School District and Burlington County's crisis management team.

"How do you make sense of it?" said parent Kevin Fisher. "Unfortunately, it happens all the time, and you can rack your brain trying to make sense of it, and you can't anymore."

"My kids are devastated," said another parent, Kim Fisher. "So, I'm really here for them to let them know what's going on. And they're concerned about him."

The district immediately suspended Macanga without pay, and while no one condones what he's charged with, they said they wish it wasn't true.

"I could go to Mr. Macanga for anything, and he was great," said parent Francesca Ashe. "I still believe he's great."

 
 

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