A teacher abused boys for years while working in school and camp programs. Settlements remained hidden from public view until recently.

A South Jersey school district and its insurers have paid at least $3.125 million to settle lawsuits alleging that a former teacher sexually abused boys over a period spanning more than a decade, according to public records.

The settlement agreements were released recently after open government advocate John Paff successfully challenged the refusal of the Lawrence Township School District in Cumberland County to disclose the records. A Superior Court judge ordered the district to turn over the agreements and pay Paff’s attorney fees and court costs.

Records reveal that the Lawrence Township School District paid settlements to several former students who alleged they were abused by Derek Hildreth, a longtime teacher, coach, and student adviser at Myron L. Powell Elementary School, a school for children in grades K-8. Two additional lawsuits remain pending.

The largest settlement, signed in July 2025, totaled $1.25 million. Earlier settlements included a $250,000 agreement reached in 2019 and five separate settlements reached in 2015, ranging from $250,000 to $400,000. Together, the settlements total $3.125 million.

The agreements had remained hidden from public view for years.

School district officials denied Paff’s request for copies of the settlement agreements. Paff, who was represented by public records lawyer Walter Luers, then filed a lawsuit under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.

In March, a judge ruled that the agreements must be released. Under New Jersey law, settlement agreements involving government agencies, municipalities, school districts, and other public entities are public records and must be disclosed upon request, though identifying information about victims and juveniles must be redacted.

The newly released agreements stem from civil lawsuits alleging that Hildreth used his positions to gain access to boys before sexually abusing them. The lawsuits allege abuse spanning from the mid-1990s through 2010.

Hildreth taught seventh- and eighth-grade social studies and was heavily involved in student activities. In addition to coaching sports, he ran before- and after-school programs, organized trips, and directed a summer camp, according to lawsuit filings.

Several lawsuits alleged that abuse occurred during school-related activities, overnight trips, retreats, camps, and other outings where he had access to students outside the classroom.

According to the transcript of a deposition taken in one of the civil cases and obtained by The Jersey Vindicator, Hildreth would invite boys over for pizza, hang out with them at his house, buy them sports equipment, and take them to sporting events. He was married at the time but would tell his wife he was going to a sporting event with his brother.

Hildreth said in the deposition that he molested boys in his classroom, in his truck, at camps, and in his Atlantic City hotel room while he was attending the annual NJEA teachers convention.

He also testified that he molested boys in the shower on Saturday mornings while his wife was still asleep.

In his deposition, he described how he forced boys to masturbate with him in the shower and perform oral sex. He also described trying to have anal sex with a boy who did not want oral sex.

Hildreth was arrested in 2011 and later indicted on nine counts of aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, 13 counts of endangering the welfare of a child in the second degree, 10 counts of sexual assault in the second degree, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child in the fourth degree.

As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to four counts. They included first-degree aggravated assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He is currently incarcerated and will be eligible for parole in 2028.

In the deposition, Hildreth said administrators confronted him after a parent complained that he had invited an eighth-grade boy to accompany him on a trip to Atlantic City. According to his testimony, school officials warned him about spending time alone with students and expressed concerns about his relationships with children. Hildreth testified that he was verbally reprimanded but was not formally disciplined or written up.

Hildreth also testified that school officials raised issues with him giving students rides and other boundary issues.

The testimony suggested that administrators had concerns about his conduct years before criminal charges were filed. The extent of what school officials knew and whether they responded appropriately became a central issue in the civil litigation.

School district officials have not responded to requests for comment about the settlements.