HOWELL — A second-grade teacher at the Land O’ Pines School has been suspended from work for allegedly taping some students to their chairs.

Howell Superintendent of Schools Enid Golden told the Tri-Town News this week that she could not comment on the matter except to confirm that the teacher was suspended this month as a result of the allegations.

Golden said the matter is being investigated by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Freehold. The superintendent said the suspended teacher is a woman who is in her fifth year of employment with the K-8 school district.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin confirmed that the matter is the subject of an investigation by his office. Due to that fact, Valentin said he could not comment further in the matter.

“The matter is under investigation by our office and I have no other comment at this time,” the prosecutor said.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Valentin said that as of Dec. 5, no one had been charged with a crime.

When asked if he anticipated charges being brought against anyone, Valentin said, “I would be speculating. The matter is under review by our office, and I will be in a better position to answer any additional questions at the appropriate time upon the completion of the investigation.”

In the past week, the alleged incident involving the Land O’ Pines teacher and the students has been the subject of some discussion on an Internet message board on which residents of Howell post comments about issues of interest in the community. The messages mention the alleged taping, but give no other details.

— Kathy Baratta