In 2016, Councilwoman Amy DeGise was suspended from her teaching position at Hudson County Prep.
Six years after the suspension, details remain elusive. Students who may have knowledge of the incident have graduated, and others who currently work at County Prep either said they were unaware that DeGise had been suspended or were unwilling to comment.
Minutes from an August 18, 2016 meeting of the Hudson County Schools of Technology Board of Education show that DeGise was suspended for three days without pay for “an incident” that “occurred on a school sponsored event.”
Specifics regarding the incident were not apparently discussed on the record, and the Jersey City Times was unable to obtain any information shedding light on the underlying facts. A lawyer for HCST rejected an Open Public Records Request for documents that set forth the conditions under which a teacher would be subject to suspension without pay.
Voting in favor of DeGise’s suspension were Craig Guy, then chief of staff to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, and John Minella, chief of staff to Mayor Fulop.
DeGise did not respond to an email requesting comment.
The councilwoman, who taught history, now works for County Prep as an apprenticeship coordinator in the Department of Career Planning and Development.
JCT redacted information on the second teacher who was suspended along with DeGise.
DeGise’s record has come under scrutiny since her July 19, 2022 collision with cyclist Andrew Black. A video showed DeGise driving away from the scene without stopping. The councilwoman didn’t report the accident until six hours later, giving rise to questions as to whether she had been intoxicated and whether the Jersey City Police Department deliberately slow-walked the investigation in order to aid a politically connected suspect.
Shortly after the collision, a video of DeGise attempting to use her political connections to avoid a parking ticket in Hoboken emerged. DeGise was also criticized for living in an apartment at College Towers for which her income made her no longer eligible.
On January 24, DeGise pled guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Injury or Death and agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and receive a one-year suspension of her driver’s license.
In a statement after the plea, DeGise called the incident a “mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life.” She said that she intends to serve out her term, which ends in 2025.
Activists and some local media have called for DeGise to resign. A rally demanding her resignation in front of City Hall has been called for 5:30 today.