Camden School Board President Wasim Muhammed has stepped down from his position after receiving backlash amid a sexual assault settlement.
In his resignation letter, Muhammed wrote:
"It is with a heavy heart that I write to say that I will be stepping down from the Camden School District as the President of the School Advisory Board. I will no longer serve in my capacity on the board or as its leader. I think it bears repeating that after my long journey through the legal system I was found innocent of the egregious allegations made against me and exonerated by a jury of my peers.
Nevertheless, even with that exoneration in a court of law, I believe I have become a distraction through the blatant misinformation that has been spread by a small group of critics. I believe that my presence is shifting the spotlight away from the incredibly important objectives of educating our students and improving the outcomes for the children in the school district. Moving forward, I will continue to serve our city as a resident and continue to do the hard work of enhancing our neighborhoods as a member of the clergy and as a civic leader. In the future, my title may change, but that will never put out the fire I have for lifting up members of my community and working to make the city a better place to live."
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This comes weeks after a chaotic school board meeting, where dozens of parents asked Muhammad to resign or be fired.
In response to the upset community, Camden School District Superintendent Katrina McCombs called on Muhammed to step down.
"In order to allow our community to heal and refocus on what truly matters—the education and future of our students— it would be in the best interest of the state-operated district of Camden City for Advisory Board President Wasim Muhammad to voluntarily relinquish his seat," McCombs had written in a letter.
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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.
The former student, Salema Robinson, had spoken with NBC10 a few weeks ago and shared that she was confused about why Muhammad hadn't resigned yet.
Robinson moved away to the South decades ago but watched the live stream of the school board meeting centered around her case involving Muhammad.
“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.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
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