The tension of Wednesday night’s Christina board meeting came from a debate to remove Naveed Baqir from the board. (Photo by Tzido/iStock Getty Images)
Wednesday night’s September board meeting had Naveed Baqir in the middle of drama, with a hefty discussion on if he should be removed from his position on the board.
Board member Doug Manley made three different motions: one to refer Baqir’s residency to the Department of Elections to investigate, one to refer a possible case of election fraud to the Department of Justice to investigate and one to censor Baqir for abandoning the district.
All three motions failed, with Manley, Amy Trauth and Monica Moriak supporting the motion, Y.F. Lou and Baqir abstaining from voting, and Board President Don Patton and Board Vice President Alethea Smith-Tucker voting the motion down.
That’s a vote of 3-2-2, and one man in the audience yelled that “it’s simple math, it passes,” to which Patton yelled back that the motions needed four votes to pass.
This all stems from the fact that Baqir has not been living in the country all year – rather, he’s been in Pakistan for studies and to care for family.
Christina drama
Wednesday’s debate comes on the heels of Superintendent Dan Shelton being removed from his position, and failed votes to remove Patton from his seat as board president.
And the fact that the Department of Justice is monitoring the district all school year, something experts say is unprecedented. The justice department is hoping to ensure Christina follows all Freedom of Information Act laws and requirements.
The three that wanted Baqir out pressed him on when he will return to America, to which Baqir vaguely said when his studies are done.
He kept reminding them that his wife and children, and his heart, are back in Christina in the First State, and cited how there’s no laws preventing him from completing his roles and duties as a board member virtually.
“The academic system is a bit different [here], and it’s six days of schooling, and I do not get the schedule until the Sunday before the week starts, and then there are last minute changes to the schedule,” Baqir said. “This is very unlike the American system, where we know in advance, you know, even within the Christina school district, we have our schedule approved at least a year in advance, and we have a general idea of the start dates and end dates way ahead.”
Moriak said most courses have a syllabus or some time frame.
Patton and Smith-Tucker defended Baqir and said he’s done tremendous work, better than some board members who have been present in-person.
Trauth was sarcastically sympathetic, and said Baqir should “take care of yourself, reconsider this board. Let the board find a person who can fill your shoes so that you can focus on your studies and do what’s right by your family.”
That didn’t work, and Baqir said he would be the first person to step down if he felt he wasn’t fulfilling his responsibilities or properly serving the district.
What seems to be the norm now, another audience member was shouting to which Patton threatened to have her thrown out and said she “doesn’t get to disrupt the meetings.”
Manley’s microphone was cut off towards the end of the meeting as he tried reading a public comment during his report.
“This is an opportunity for people to attack a person because they’re not getting the votes to go the way that they want them to go,” Patton said. “We have had board members sitting up here acting disgraceful.”
Just like in recent meetings, Patton scrambled to adjourn the meeting when the bickering seemed to be unbearable and the public image of Christina was dug deeper.
The board’s next meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Watch it here.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
