Jersey City school board meeting to address member’s controversial social media post is canceled for ‘potential security risks’

A Jersey City school board meeting at which the board’s president intended to seek the resignation of a member who called Jewish people “brutes” in a social media post has been canceled for security reasons, school officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy accused Board of Education member Joan Terrell-Paige of anti-Semitism following her now-deleted Facebook comments in the wake of last week’s attack at a kosher supermarket that left three people dead.

Murphy and the city’s mayor called for Terrell-Paige’s resignation.

Board President Sudhan Thomas said he had planned to offer a resolution Thursday asking the board to censure Terrell-Paige and request her resignation. But city officials alerted the board of “potential security risks” surrounding the meeting, Thomas said.

“We have over 50 children scheduled to perform at the meeting tonight which was expected to be attended by the parents and employees. The security and safety of our children are paramount and today’s cancellation is made in their best interest,” Thomas said in a letter to trustees.

CNN is inquiring further about the potential security risks. It is was not immediately clear whether the meeting will be rescheduled.

Terrell-Paige accused Jewish people of threatening, intimidating and harassing black homeowners in the comment. She also referenced the December 10 shooting at the market in the historically black Greenville community.

Francine Graham, 50, and David Anderson, 47, killed a Jersey City detective before storming the market, killing the three victims. The shooters were killed by police.

Authorities say the attack was domestic terrorism “fueled by both anti-Semitism and anti-law enforcement beliefs.”

Terrell-Paige did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls from CNN seeking comment.

She did speak with Politico, which said she refused to apologize for her Facebook post. Asked whether she regretted her comments, Terrell-Paige said, “No, I don’t.”