The Camden school board got an earful from residents about its accused president: ‘Enough is enough’

Residents expressed frustration and anger to the Camden Advisory School Board this week, demanding that it oust its embattled president, Wasim Muhammad, since decades-old allegations that he sexually assaulted a former student have come to light.

Emotions ran high at the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday night, the first since allegations against Muhammad were published earlier this month. Muhammad has denied the charges by a former student that he sexually abused her when he was her teacher, but he has taken a leave of absence from the board, pending the outcome of a sexual assault civil trial against him scheduled to start next month.

“We, the people, have had enough,” said community activist Ronsha Dickerson, founder of the Camden Parent Union. “We are not OK in Camden.”

Dickerson, wearing a black T-shirt that read, “We. Deserve. To. Be. Protected,” chastised the board for not immediately speaking out about the allegations.

Superintendent Katrina McCombs told the crowd that the district was unaware of the allegations until the civil lawsuit was filed. A judge scheduled a hearing for Friday on a defense motion to dismiss the case.

She also disclosed that she had experienced sexual assault as a child, and she found the allegations “triggering.”

“We do take these matters very seriously,” said McCombs, who allotted extra time for speakers. “They’re not being taken lightly.”

Muhammad, 56, who has served on the board since 2013 and as president since 2020, announced last week that he would take a leave of absence from his board duties after Gov. Phil Murphy called for Muhammad’s resignation from the nine-member board.

In a statement, Murphy’s spokesperson Maggie Garbarino said the “allegations cast doubt on Mr. Muhammad’s ability to effectively serve the Camden City School District.”

» READ MORE: Camden school board president says he will take leave pending the outcome of the sexual assault civil trial against him

“He is taking a leave of absence from serving on the board. He is stepping away from his duties as president, no contact with the board or district at this time,” said Mike Neilon, a district spokesman.

It was unclear how Muhammad was allowed to take a leave from the position. The New Jersey School Boards Association said it was “unaware of any specific provisions for a board member to take a leave of absence” under the law. A board member who no longer resides in a district or has three consecutive meeting absences can be removed, the association said.

During public comment at the advisory board meeting Tuesday night, the first speaker, Natalie Rivera, a social worker, called for Muhammad’s resignation, citing the “appalling, heinous nature of allegations and injustice to our student.”

“I am sending a clear message to this board and the Camden school district advisory board president, such behaviors, acts and tendencies will not be tolerated, and it has and will be condemned by this community,” she said. “Leave our little ones alone. Give our students dignity. Give our student justice. Resign now.”

The audience applauded Rivera and said “amen.” She closed by quoting Matthew 18:6, which admonishes anyone who harms children. A student representative on the board also called for Muhammad to resign, saying it was “disturbing” seeing him at prior meetings.

Another community activist, Vida Neil, said she reported the abuse allegations to the board in 2014, but nothing was done. Neil and others also blasted the board for only issuing a statement after Murphy’s statement.

A lawsuit filed in September 2021 accuses Muhammad of grooming his student for abuse by singling her out for special attention when she was a student at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School. The lawsuit alleges that district employees who knew about the abuse failed to stop it.

The alleged abuse began when the girl was 14, and Muhammad — then known as Donnie Walker — was her social studies teacher, the lawsuit said. At least one sexual encounter occurred on school property and the others at motels and his home, the lawsuit said.

Muhammad, now a minister, said he married the girl in 1997 when she was 18 under the Muslim faith and the two lived together for about 10 months. In a deposition, Muhammad said he has a legal wife and four Muslim wives.

His former student, now 44 and married with children but who goes by Jane Doe in the court filings, has denied that the two were married.

» READ MORE: Camden native says she is humbled to lead hometown school district

McCombs, the state-appointed superintendent, reassured the audience that their concerns were heard. The district provided sexual abuse awareness pamphlets at a table.

A Camden native, McCombs shared a personal story that she was molested and abused. She said her single mother “entrusted me in the hands of people who unfortunately did things to me that they should not have.”

“I’m not a victim. I’m a conqueror of the things that happened to me in the past,” she said. “I hope we can all work together to make sure that our young people have what they need so they can overcome, too.”