A meeting on the push to remove the Camden School Board president -- found guilty by a jury of committing “extreme and outrageous conduct” against a former student 30 years ago – descended into chaos on Tuesday.
The meeting took place at Camden High School on 1700 Park Boulevard in Camden, New Jersey. Camden residents and advocates called for the immediate removal of Camden School Board President Wasim Muhammad, 56.
Muhammad, formerly known as Donnie Walker, was accused of sexually assaulting a middle school student when he was a teacher 30 years ago. In June, a jury in a civil case found that he “recklessly and intentionally committed extreme and outrageous conduct” though they did not believe he sexually abused the student. The Camden City School District reached a $2 million settlement with the former student.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Jeff Fritz, the attorney of the former student, showed a photo of his client to the crowd and read a brief statement from her.
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“Every day is an intentional effort for me to function as a mother, wife and educator,” Fritz said on his client’s behalf. “I am plagued with memories and nightmares.”
The meeting soon became heated with a crowd repeatedly chanting and calling for Muhammad’s removal. At one point, Muhammad helped remove a woman who became upset about the attacks against him. Muhammad’s wife also tried to speak in her husband’s defense but was drowned out by noise and whistles from the crowd.
The former student, Salema Robinson spoke with NBC10 on Wednesday and shared what she had to say.
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"It’s confusing, that’s for sure, that he’s still there. And it makes me very disappointed," Robinson said.
Robinson moved away to the South decades ago but watched a live stream of the meeting centered around her case involving Muhammad. She’s urging families to not back down.
“I have a physical, visceral reaction when I think about it. It hurts my stomach," Robinson said. "I struggle with trusting myself, trusting my judgement. I struggle with sleeping a lot," she also shared.
While the Camden School District didn’t directly say if they would ask Muhammad to step down, State District Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs released a statement.
“While we humbly acknowledge the challenge we presently face, the Camden City School District remains committed to a successful start to the 2024-2025 school year,” McCombs wrote. “Our top priority is to ensure that students, staff, and families have the resources they need to succeed. Our students’ socioemotional and academic well-being drives our efforts. We are confident that, together, we can overcome these challenges and create a thriving environment for everyone in our district.”
NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville tried to speak with Muhammad at Tuesday’s meeting. Muhammad walked away while asking him to wait until after the meeting. Baskerville was later locked out of the hallway and he wasn’t able to get close to the school superintendent.
Eventually, Troy Archie, Muhammad’s attorney, spoke on camera.
“I think it’s going to come up but eventually he’ll have to overpower it,” Archie said when asked how Muhammad could stop the calls for his resignation from becoming a distraction during the school year.
A recall petition is underway to remove Muhammad since the school board doesn’t have the authority to force him out.
