NJ parents, governor demand BOE president quit after $2M sex scandal

CAMDEN — A school advisory board's meeting Tuesday grew contentious with repeated calls for the board's president to resign over the settlement of a lawsuit over sexual assault of a student.

The woman, now in her 40s, said in a lawsuit filed in January that Wasim Muhammad, known as Don Waker at the time, began grooming and sexually abusing her in the 1990s when she was a student in his social studies class at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School in Camden.

Among the accusations was that Muhammad brought the girl to a pornographic theater and forced her to have sex with another man. He also brought her back to his home for sexual activity involving his wife, according to the lawsuit.

Gov. Phil Murphy called for Muhammad to resign doubting his effectiveness to serve the district.

After a jury in June awarded the woman $1.6 million in the case she and the district settled for $400,000 in punitive damages for total of $2 million, according to NJ.com coverage of the case.

Neither district nor Muhammad admitted any wrongdoing and he remained on the board.

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'Fed up, fired up'

His continued presence on the board is not sitting well with parents.

During a preliminary board meeting on Thursday, community activist Vida Neil shouted that the meeting should not continue with Muhammad present, according to TAP into Camden.  During the roll call of members to start the meeting, attendees said "shame on you" at the mention of their name.

Tuesday night's meeting was again filled with protesters who blew whistles and chanted "fed up, fired up," according to WHYY coverage.

More than two dozen speakers demanded Muhammad resign. His wife, Chabree Muhammad, went to the public mic but was shouted down as she tried to tout the district's successes under his leadership and the number of students accepted to colleges.

A fight broke out in the audience as the board went into closed session, which led one of his sons to restrain a woman. As a second fight started, the meeting was ended for "lack of a quorum."

In a statement, Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs said the district "humbly acknowledges" the challenge it faces but was confident it can be overcome to ensure a successful start to the school year."

"We are confident that, together, we can overcome these challenges and create a thriving environment for everyone in our district," McCombs said.

Previous reporting by Rick Rickman was used in this report