Parent Arrested At Jersey City School Board Meeting

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A parent speaking out about her special needs child at a Jersey City school board meeting was arrested by police on Thursday.

The arrest was first reported in the Jersey City Times.

While few details were available Friday, a spokesman for Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said that the mother was released with a summons.

City spokesman Nathaniel Styer said: "JCPD officers responded to Thursday’s Board of Education meeting at the request of the board. The officers were asked to remove a parent for disorderly conduct, and she was issued a summons."

City Hall is a separate entity from the school board.

Styer said, "We are going to thoroughly review the circumstances of this incident. As leaders elected by the public, the board has a duty to respect the public’s right to express dissatisfaction — even if it uncomfortable or lengthens the meeting.”

The mother in question, Emily Pecot, told Patch Friday night that she was advocating for students with disabilities.

"The JCBOE has a pattern of delaying, denying, and evading responsibility for properly educating students with disabilities and working with their families," she said.

She added, "Children deserve a school district that takes responsibility for its failures and enacts change instead of silencing constituents. When the board misleads the public and calls to arrest parents for dissenting, it shows that they are not serious about properly educating children and managing a $1 billion budget."

History Of Controversy

Jersey City's schools were under state control from 1989 through 2022.

While state control has been lifted, numerous controversies have plagued the board, such as the former president pleading guilty to taking bribes.

According to Hudson County View, parents at Thursday's meeting complained that the board was trying to limit the length of their public comments to as little as 30 seconds. When Pecot — who identified herself as a member of Parents United for Special Education Reform — called out, she was arrested, the story says.

A group called Jersey City Moms shared on social media on Friday, "We are calling on city, county, and state officials to fully audit the actions and conduct of the Jersey City Board of Education."

Patch has reached out to the school board president, and will update this story when more information is available.

Got a comment or a photo from the meeting? Email Jersey City Patch.