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A state judge has denied the Newark Board of Education’s petition to remove one of its longest-serving members over her daughter’s attempt to sue the school district.
The December decision by State Administrative Law Judge William J. Courtney is a setback in the district’s attempt to unseat six-year board member Dawn Haynes and exclude her from participating in board business and activities. Acting State Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer will review the case and must make a final decision on the petition by Feb. 3, 45 days from the judge’s ruling, according to Courtney’s decision obtained by Chalkbeat through a public records request.
The district’s petition, also obtained through a public records request, argued that Haynes had an “irreconcilable conflict of interest” and keeping her on the board would cause “irreparable harm” after her adult daughter filed a legal claim against Newark Public Schools. In the claim, Akela Haynes alleges that she experienced religious, racial, and gender discrimination and other harassment during her time as a Newark School of Global Studies student.