Jersey City Board of Education (BOE) Vice President Dejon Morris defended the board’s decision to ban 8th District congressional candidate Mussab Ali from school property in the face of him filing a federal lawsuit today.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
Morris began by saying he couldn’t comment the pending litigation alleging Ali’s constitutional rights were violated by the ban, particularly since he can’t access his voting location without written consent from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Norma Fernandez.
Nonetheless, he “unequivocally” stands by the actions of the board and insisted the decision wasn’t politically motivated in any way.
“Mussab Ali is more than welcome to do whatever it is that he thinks that he needs to do to prove otherwise, but the board of education has the right to protect our scholars, and not only protect our scholars, but protect the actions of our scholars while they’re in our care,” Morris told HCV in a phone interview.
“As it pertains to Mussab Ali’s ambitions, first of all, I don’t even vote in his district. So him winning or losing actually has nothing to do with my decision. My decision was based on the facts.”
Morris recalled how he was the one to motion for the resolution to ban Ali from school property to advance and stands by that decision.
“I refuse to have any fear of a lawsuit. That’s his constitutional right. He can do whatever he needs. That’s why we have attorneys, and our attorneys will handle that. But as it pertains to the overall issue, I 100 percent stand by it.”
According to Morris, he would do it all again because it’s not about Ali but the safety and security of students. Although Ali has previously argued the code of conduct doesn’t apply to him as a private citizen, Morris argued that it does.
“Our code of conduct is not only just for the faculty and staff and the students, but it also applies to any parent that comes to our school that causes the disruption or does anything that’s under that category, and we have the option to ban them from our facilities,” he said.
Morris acknowledged the resolution may need to be tweaked to clarify the original intention of the ban being enacted during school hours, alluding to Ali’s claim that the ban will prevent him from voting for himself in the June 2 Democratic Primary Election.
However, Morris doubled down on the intention behind the ban, reiterating that Fernandez can grant him permission in any given scenario, as well as that he is still allowed to attend and speak at BOE meetings.
“I don’t have that much interest in him to actually figure out where he votes at, because it was never about him. It was about the act that took place. So how could this be maliciously done when I don’t know where you vote?” he expressed.
“The notion that we’re somehow not allowing him to vote because of that is just propaganda. All this other stuff that he’s talking about is irrelevant. That’s what you call a very struggling campaign that’s trying to reach every angle to win. I don’t have time for this nonsense, to be honest, because I could care less if he wins or not.”
Morris, who remained steadfast that Ali was behind a high school student walkout in February whether he admits it or not, also noted that Ali could still easily vote early – at multiple locations – or vote by mail.
According to Morris, Ali is using this lawsuit to try to gain momentum in his effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8), which he believes is pretty obviously not going well.
“He obviously sees the numbers, he knows where this is going. He’s trying to use this as a political stunt where, not only does he stay relevant, but now it looks like he’s fighting for all of these made-up things that are going on.”
Morris also highlighted several times that Ali claimed not to be involved with the walkouts, which were a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, but yet sill calls himself a student representative.
According to Morris, Ali should have known better than to assist the two Ferris High School students with the walkout when they asked to remain anonymous to avoid repercussions to violating the code of conduct.
Morris said that he would have worked with students to organize an event if they approached the board or district, where he said Ali should have directed them.
“As an adult first, as a former school board president second, and just as a moral human being third, if two students are trying to do something anonymously because they know that they’ll be in violation of the code of conduct, why would you usher in what they want to do knowing that it’s wrong?” he declared.
“His stance should have been, ‘Hey, this is not right. Let’s sit with the district.’ Because if this was something they brought to our attention when it was organized, I would have participated and we would have made provisions for them to actually have the protest. We can’t just let our scholars do whatever they want.”
Morris said the district aims to teach students that there are consequences for their actions in life.
“I can’t just get in my car and run a red light, because there are responsibilities that come behind that action,” he said.
“You cannot do what you want to do when there are rules and regulations in place. Not only did he violate that, but he assisted the execution of it. So if that’s not a threat, then what is it? Just because you don’t hold the gun in your hand, and you’re not standing in the bank when it’s being robbed, does not mean you’re not guilty.”
Ali is seeking to have the resolution overturned, as well as prevent any similar resolutions from being approved, along with civil penalties against the defendants, which includes Morris, attorney’s fees and costs, and any other relief the court deems just and equitable.
“This case is about what happens when government officials use the machinery of a public
school board to silence a community leader and, in doing so, strip him of his right to
speak, his right to assemble, his right to vote, and his good name,” the six-count lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Newark today, says.