Backed by the pro bono law firm Advocates for Justice, the group of public school parents of this Rockland County enclave just north of New York City appealed to the state Education Department to remove all members of the school board for breach of fiduciary duty for hiring "excessively expensive" attorneys to represent individual board members in a federal class action civil rights lawsuit brought by parents. Some of the board members reportedly tried to flee as parents served them with the legal papers.
Above: file photo of a protest by public school parents at an East Ramapo school board meeting two years ago
New Lawsuits Filed Against East Ramapo School Board Members
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
A group of public school parents in the haredi-controlled scandal-plagued East Ramapo, New York school district took new legal action against school board members on Tuesday at an overflowing board meeting, the Journal News reported.
Backed by the pro bono law firm Advocates for Justice, the group of public school parents of this Rockland County enclave just north of New York City appealed to the state Education Department to remove all members of the school board for breach of fiduciary duty for hiring "excessively expensive" attorneys to represent individual board members in a federal class action civil rights lawsuit brought by parents.
Board members hired expensive high-end Manhattan law firms when much less expensive but still adequate local representation was available to them. The move cost the cash-starved district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There were also suits filed against individual board members, who tried to run away to avoid being served at the meeting.
As the meeting ended, parents launched a demonstration calling on school district Joel Klein to resign.
Groups of public school parents have held similar demonstrations in recent weeks in front of Klein’s office and in front of his home.
Since haredim took control of the school board several years ago, many public school parents allege the public schools have been looted by the board, which allegedly diverted money and assets to haredi yeshivas.
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