MENDHAM — Nicole McDonough, the 32-year-old teacher at West Morris Mendham High School accused of having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student, has been suspended from her job, according to the school superintendent.

"Ms. McDonough is on leave (suspended) until further notice," Mackey Pendergrast, superintendent of the West Morris Regional High School District, said in an email Wednesday to NJ Advance Media. He declined further comment.

McDonough, of Mount Olive, posted bail and was released shortly after her arrest on Tuesday, according to court records. She posted the $75,000 bail at 5:26 p.m.

The bail figure, which required cash or bond in the amount of $75,000, was set by Mendham Borough Municipal Court Judge William Bowkley.

McDonough was arrested on a single, second-degree charge of official misconduct. Court records do not yet list an attorney for her.

McDonough has not yet responded to phone and email messages sent Tuesday and Wednesday.

The acts in question allegedly occurred in May and June of 2014.



A statement issued Tuesday by the Morris County prosector and Mendham Borough police chief announcing the arrest did not identify the sex of the student or give any more details of what occurred.

It said only that "Law enforcement received information that ... McDonough engaged in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student while she was employed as a teacher at West Morris Mendham High School."

McDonough is listed at the school's website as an English teacher and a member of the faculty at Mendham High.

McDonough holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the College of St. Elizabeth in Morris Township, according to the website.

She had been teaching honors and International Baccalaureate-level English courses at the high school, according to information that was removed from the website on Wednesday.

On the website, McDonough had said she is in her seventh year as a teacher, all in the West Morris Regional High School District. She said she taught at West Morris Central High from 2007 to 2011 and left before returning to the district in April 2013 to teach at West Morris Mendham.

McDonough's arrest followed an investigation conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor's sex crimes/child endangerment unit and the Mendham Borough Police Department, according to Morris Prosecutor Fredric Knapp.

The prosecutor urged anyone with information relating to these charges or "any similar conduct by this defendant" to contact Detective Bruce LaFera of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-8407.

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.