An outraged mother of a special needs student was hauled off in handcuffs after shouting at the Jersey City Board of Education Thursday night and refusing to leave, video of the incident shows.
Mom Emily Pecot was arrested Thursday night and charged with disorderly conduct after she and other moms demanded the school board reform its special education programs and limit students’ screen time in the classroom, the Jersey City Times first reported.
Video obtained by The Post shows Pecot being stood-up by police officers, handcuffed and marched out of the meeting as other members of the public yelled “shame on you.”
The clip has sparked outrage from parents, who have been furious with what they say are high-handed responses to concerns brought at meetings.
“We are going to thoroughly review the circumstances of this incident,” Nathaniel Styer, the spokesman for Mayor James Solomon, told The Post.
“As leaders elected by the public, the board has a duty to respect the public’s right to express dissatisfaction — even if it is uncomfortable or lengthens the meeting.”
Before she was arrested, Pecot and other parents berated the school board — and criticized their responses to questions regarding online homework.
Pecot was taken down the street, issued a summons and released within an hour.
“Children and families in Jersey City deserve so much better than a school district that arrests mothers for speaking out instead of listening and improving special education,” she told the Jersey City Times.
“Seeing how children with disabilities and their families are treated by this district makes me question the legitimacy of this district and its board. Punishing citizens for speaking out about problems in the district sends a bad message.”
Parents have said complained openly and repeatedly that the district has ignored their concerns, and that board members have been condescending at previous meetings.
“The ongoing issue is Jersey City’s abject failure of really considering and appropriately dealing with our students who have special needs and disabilities,” one mother told The Post Friday.
“And so there have been major concerns with… likely all of the schools and the way in which they’ve been managing children who have special needs,” she added.
Pecot, a frequent face at the school board meetings, and other active parents have been pushing to make changes for years.
“And there is nothing, nothing being done,” the local parent said.
“And parents are being met with a lot of condescension, like coming to them with a lot of anger. And [the board] is upset that parents are raising their concerns.”
The Jersey City Police Department and the Jersey City Board of Education did not respond to The Post’s request for additional information on Friday.
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