In the Matter of Sapreet Saluja, Empowerment Academy Charter School, Hudson County, 11/20/2023, (#343-23SEC)

SEC Dkt. No. D03-23
Agency Dkt. No. 280-10/23
New Jersey Commissioner of Education
Final Decision
In the Matter of Sapreet Saluja,
Empowerment Academy Charter School,
Hudson County.
The Commissioner has reviewed the record of this matter and the decision of the School Ethics
Commission (SEC) finding that respondent violated the School Ethics Act for failure to timely file
Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements (“Disclosure Statements”) in accordance with
N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26, and N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1. The SEC’s decision was forwarded to the
Commissioner for final determination on the recommended penalty pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-29(c). The
SEC recommended a sanction of censure. Respondent has neither filed exceptions to the recommended
penalty, nor instituted an appeal of the SEC’s underlying finding of violation pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:4-1 et
seq.
Upon review, the Commissioner concurs with the penalty recommended by the SEC for
respondent’s failure to timely honor an obligation placed upon school officials by law. Accordingly,
respondent is censured for violating the School Ethics Act.
IT IS SO ORDERED.1
ACTING COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
Date of Decision:
Date of Mailing:
1 This decision may be appealed to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:6-9.1.
Under N.J.Ct.R. 2:4-1(b), a notice of appeal must be filed with the Appellate Division within 45 days from the date of
mailing of this decision.
343-23SEC
November 20, 2023
November 22, 2023

Before the School Ethics Commission
Docket No.: D03-23
Decision for Failure to File Personal/Relative and
Financial Disclosure Statements
I/M/O Sapreet Saluja,
Empowerment Academy Charter School, Hudson County
I. 	Procedural History
This matter arises from an Order to Show Cause (OTSC) that was issued by the School
Ethics Commission (Commission) at its meeting on September 26, 2023, directing Respondent, a
“school official” as defined in N.J.S.A. 18A:12-23 of the School Ethics Act (Act), N.J.S.A.
18A:12-21 et seq., to show cause as to why the Commission should not find her in violation of
the Act for failing to file Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements (Disclosure
Statements) as required by N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26, and N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1.
In the OTSC that was 	served on September 	26, 2023, the Commission notified
Respondent that she had twenty (20) days to respond to the OTSC. Respondent was further
advised that failure to respond would be deemed an admission of the facts set forth in the OTSC,
and the Commission may take action on a summary basis, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:28-
1.6(c).
II. 	Analysis
The Act was enacted by the New Jersey State Legislature to ensure and preserve public
confidence in members of local boards of education and local school administrators. By virtue of
N.J.S.A. 18A:12-23.1, the breadth of the Act was expanded to include charter school trustees and
administrators.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26, and N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1(a), all
school officials must file, on forms prescribed by the Commission, Disclosure Statements with
their local board secretaries or charter school designees, and must do so on or before April 30th
of each year. In addition, all newly elected board members or board members appointed to fill
vacancies, 	newly 	appointed 	members 	of 	a 	board 	of 	trustees 	of 	a 	charter 	school, 	and
administrators appointed to fill a vacancy must file their Disclosure Statements within thirty (30)
days of appointment or taking office. N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1(c), N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1(d), N.J.A.C.
6A:28-3.1(e), and N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1(f).
If a school official fails to file the required Disclosure Statements, the Commission is
authorized, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.3(b), to issue an Order to Show Cause. Moreover,
failure to timely file the required Disclosure Statements “shall constitute a violation of the Act,
and may result in the reprimand, censure, suspension, or removal of a school official.” N.J.A.C.
6A:28-3.3(a).

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With the above in mind, Respondent is a returning school official and, therefore, was
required to file Disclosure Statements by April 30, 2023. Despite this fact, and even though
Respondent received reminders as further detailed below, Respondent failed to file Disclosure
Statements within the statutorily required timeframe.
More specifically, throughout the months of July through September, the Commission’s
staff sent repeated messages to the Board Secretary advising that Respondent had not yet filed
Disclosure Statements. The electronic correspondence to the Board Secretary further advised that
if Respondent failed to file Disclosure Statements, the Commission had the authority to issue an
OTSC, find Respondent in violation of the Act, and recommend a penalty up to and including
removal for non-compliance.
In addition, by electronic correspondence dated August 1, 2023, August 30, 2023, and
September 11, 2023, Respondent was reminded that her Disclosure Statements had not yet been
filed. Respondent was further advised that continued failure to file Disclosure Statements would
result in the Commission issuing an OTSC, and recommending a penalty, up to and including
removal.
When Respondent failed to file Disclosure Statements as required by N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25,
N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26, and N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1, an OTSC was issued by the Commission at its
meeting on September 26, 2023. After having been served with the OTSC, Respondent filed her
Disclosure Statements on October 16, 2023, and submitted a written statement noting that her
failure to file “was a simple miss on [her] part.” She also notes that she “erroneously thought
[she] had submitted it.”
III. 	Decision/Penalty Recommendation
Based on the record as set forth above, and at its meeting on October 17, 2023, the
Commission found that Respondent violated N.J.S.A. 18A:12-25, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26, and
N.J.A.C. 6A:28-3.1 because she did not timely file Disclosure Statements. Although Respondent
ultimately filed her Disclosure Statements, the filing was several months late, and submitted only
after multiple reminders were sent reiterating 	her statutory obligation to file Disclosure
Statements.
Where a violation of the Act is found by the Commission, it may recommend to the
Commissioner of Education that a penalty be imposed on the school official. The recommended
penalty can include a reprimand, censure, suspension or removal of the school official. N.J.A.C.
6A:28-3.3(a); N.J.A.C. 6A:28-9.11. Specifically, unless good cause is shown or the school
official previously has been the subject of an OTSC, “the Commission shall recommend that a
school official who completes the disclosure statements after the issuance of an Order to Show
Cause, but before the Commission issues its decision, receives a censure.” N.J.A.C. 6A:28-
3.3(c). For the reasons set forth above, the Commission recommends that the Commissioner of
Education impose a penalty of censure.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-29(c), this decision shall be forwarded to the Commissioner
of Education for review of the Commission’s recommended penalty. Respondent may either:
1) file exceptions to the recommended sanction; 2) file an appeal of the Commission’s finding of

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a violation; or 3) file both exceptions to the recommended sanction together with an appeal of the
finding of a violation.
Parties taking exception to the recommended penalty of the Commission but not
disputing the Commission’s finding of a violation may file, within thirteen (13) days from the
date the Commission’s decision is forwarded to the Commissioner, written exceptions regarding
the recommended penalty to the Commissioner. The forwarding date shall be the mailing date to
the parties, as indicated below. Such exceptions must be forwarded to: Commissioner of
Education, c/o Bureau of Controversies and Disputes, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, New Jersey 08625,
marked 	“Attention: 	Comments 	on 	Ethics 	Commission 	Sanction.” 	as 	well 	as 	to
(ControversiesDisputesFilings@doe.nj.gov). A copy must also be sent to the Commission
(school.ethics@doe.nj.gov) and all other parties.
Parties seeking to appeal the Commission’s finding of violation must file an appeal
pursuant to the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 6A:4-1 et seq. within thirty (30) days of the filing
date of the decision from which the appeal is taken. The filing date shall be three (3) days after
the date of mailing to the parties, as shown below. In such cases, the Commissioner’s review of
the 	Commission’s 	recommended 	sanction 	will 	be 	deferred 	and 	incorporated 	into 	the
Commissioner’s review of the finding of violation on appeal. Where a notice of appeal has been
filed on or before the due date for exceptions to the Commission’s recommended sanction
(thirteen (13) days from the date the decision is mailed by the Commission), exceptions need not
be filed by that date, but may be incorporated into the appellant’s brief on appeal.
______________________________
Robert W. Bender, Chairperson
Mailing Date: October 17, 2023