One week after a parent was arrested at a Jersey City Board of Education meeting, tensions remained on full display at a special board meeting last night.
By John Heinis and Dan Israel/Hudson County View
“This special meeting, we deemed necessary due to the situation that we all witnessed at the last meeting of the general board last week Thursday. The way that we will conduct this meeting is we have nine, I believe, speakers,” began Board President Noemi Velazquez.
“Before the speakers, we, the trustees, that are here will have an opportunity to communicate any comments that they may have with regards to the issue.”
She continued that they called the meeting to understand how and why Emily Pecot was arrested last week, stating that the board was unaware of the circumstances of how that came to be.
Trustee Natalia Ioffe noted that it was difficult to ascertain what happened due to the holiday weekend, noting that the board does not have access to district resources when they’re closed, as well as that she wants to see the district’s special education programs thrive.
A short time later, Trustee Afaf Muhammad said she had met with members of Parents United for Special Education Reform, the group which Pecot is a part of, saying that they only attend regular meetings in order for their comments to be seen and heard by the public.
She stated that while Pecot’s arrest was unfortunate, it easily could have been avoided if she took direction from the police officers who arrived on the scene.
” … I have a whole different perspective of what happened on Thursday and I think the public needs to be aware that advocacy does not look like that, advocacy is where you build a relationship with the person you’re advocating to and it doesn’t have to be violent, it doesn’t have to be so loud,” Muhammed asserted.
“You can have signs, but I just see this as, I just see it in a totally different way from that conversation because … I felt like it was manipulation because they can’t get what they want from this board so it’s gonna be a big to do at our meetings.”
Trustee Tia Rezabala had a completely different perspective of the incident, beginning by apologizing for not saying and doing more in the moment. She and Trustee Dr. Matthew Schneider denounced the arrest in a joint letter to the editor published Tuesday.
“I didn’t feel as if the parents were being disruptive,” she began.
“I felt like most of them were scrolling on their phone because the recess had just ended, everyone was just coming back in from recess, and I want to put it on me this is not to point fingers on anyone else, this is purely on me and my conscience and my actions and there should never be a time when one of our parents is wondering whose gonna take care of their child because they came to one of our meetings to advocate for their child.”
She added that the parents united group had been to numerous meeting throughout the year, last week was far from the first time, and that she didn’t feel any of their words of actions prevented the board from conducting their business as a whole.
Schneider noted that he felt the board as a whole has been infringing on parents First Amendment rights for a long time, becoming over reliant on police in recent memory, and it’s long overdue that they dial it back.
Velazquez reiterated that the board was unaware of why police were present last week and that everyone was shocked to see someone get walked out in handcuffs.
Schneider took umbrage with that, noting that just before the meeting began, HCV first reported that Board Vice President Dejon Morris requested the arrest and was listed as the complainant on the Jersey City police report of the incident.
He also held up a copy of the police report as he spoke, which had been printed out and distributed to the board.
Velazquez said they would discuss that in closed session as parents in the audience cheered, but Morris doubled down and said he had no regrets, also emphasizing that he can’t tell the police department what to do.
“Listen, I am very procedure and police oriented and the president had to call a recess because the meeting was disruptive. I told the director of security [Rhuddell Snelling] that he should adhere to the preamble,” he said before he and Schneider got into a brief argument.
“It outlines from disruptiveness to being disrespectful to board members: I simply reminded him of that preamble. And then I went into closed session. The police were called, I believe that the director gave her two warnings to leave, she refused. The police came and as they were trying to have her leave the auditorium, she refused them as well.”
He acknowledged that he said there was case law to support a defiant trespass charge, with he again said was a recommendation, but said he “stands by it 100 percent.”
Rezabala said she could respect Morris’ opinion, despite disagreeing with it, however, she had a problem with the board as a whole saying they did not contact the police, yet Morris said “I did it and I’m proud it” as far as she was concerned, drawing more audience applause.
Morris yelled back that was not what he said before Velazquez called for order from the board.
“There’s a lot of sensitivity as to why this issue is taken so seriously, we had protesters at a meeting, you have not experienced someone come up to you and push you from the audience. You haven’t experienced someone walking up to you and you don’t know what this person is gonna do because they’re upset, we’ve seen that,” Muhammad said.
“I’ve experienced someone pushing me while I’m speaking, okay, and then when your bring it to court, you sit two years waiting because they’re so connected to the community and the community stands by her on this – it’s just ridiculous.”
Right as public comment began, a protest spearheaded by disaffected parents and their children began right outside of the meeting at the BOE’s administrative offices on Claremont Avenue, featuring chants of “students first,” and “no more secrets, no more lies, open your ears, open your eyes.”
Wearing shirts and waiving signs that said “Parents Aren’t Prisoners,” the group also carried signs calling for resignations, criticizing the arrest of Pecot at the previous meeting.
During comment, protest organizer Jackie Cox Battles said it was “truly remarkable” to see parents from the community to come together to advocate for a range of issues, from overcrowding at P.S. 16, to the use of technology in classrooms, to concerns about special education and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
“What has happened after this week are these parent groups have now all come together and we have formed a powerful union,” she exclaimed.
“We are not prisoners. And let me tell you the irony of the robocalls that I was spammed for the last three weeks asking to attend the ‘Parents Are Partners’ event when you are arresting those parents and sending them to jail behind bars, putting them in handcuffs.”
She added this is not how the district should be run, parents are fired up about it, and they aren’t going anywhere since most of their children are young.
“We are together in our energy and our effort. And we are going to remember a long, long memory because many of us have kids that are in pre-K. So guess what? You’re not getting rid of us. We’re here. Get ready, and let’s go.”
Ivonne Garcia, the PTA President at P.S. 27, who has currently a daughter at Dickinson High School and a son at Ferris High School, spoke through tears acknowledging the board’s past efforts to work with parents but decrying the current state of affairs.
“I have personally seen the good this administration has done. I have seen the positive impact. Dr. Fernandez, Ms. Velazquez, what is going on here?” she questioned.
Garcia also took issue with Morris being “disrespectful” and “rude” to parents at a parent ambassador meeting, emphasizing that parents are not the enemies of the board.
She said she has bragged to other counties about the success of the parent ambassador program in Jersey City, its success, transparency, and communication, but would not discourage anyone from speaking against the board that night.
“Parents are stakeholders. We deserve the leadership that listens, communication, respectfully understands and collaborates no matter what the situation is,” Garcia expressed.
“Tonight, I am asking for something simple but important as the true partnership between you and I. Our children benefit the. Most when parents feel empowered and feel protected.”
In addition to about a dozen members of the public, Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32), Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little, and Councilwoman a-Large Mamta Singh also spoke out against Pecot’s arrest, though Brennan’s remarks largely focused on working together on state issues.
As Fernandez made closing remarks regarding the special education audit, most of the public in attendance exited the meeting.
This continued when Velazquez attempted to make a brief statement indicating that the board will see if it’s possible to have the charges against Pecot dropped efore giving up and motioning for a closed session – which Schneider and Rezabala opted not to attend.
