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Residents and students demand accountability after East Brunswick High School yearbook incident; calls for apology and protections for Muslim students
Summary
At a packed council meeting, residents and students described online threats and hateful comments following a high‑school yearbook controversy. Speakers criticized the mayor's initial statement, urged apologies and protective measures for Muslim students, and some asked the council to express no confidence in the Board of Education; the council said it would pursue healing steps while a Board investigation continues.
A volatile community discussion over a controversial East Brunswick High School yearbook image and the township's early public response dominated the June 10 council meeting, with residents and students calling for apologies, protections and formal accountability.
Jeff Winston told the council the handling by the Board of Education and the superintendent has "failed" and urged the township to move beyond the district: "It is time for this Town Council to make a formal motion with a second and to vote no confidence in the Board of Education and Superintendent Victor Veski," he said, placing the school controversy squarely on the municipal discussion.
Multiple Muslim residents and student speakers said the mayor's initial characterization of the incident as anti‑Semitic before a completed investigation made Muslim students vulnerable to online abuse. "The press release put Muslim students in the picture indirectly and created a clear divide in the community," student speaker Has Ali said. A Muslim parent said she feared for her children and demanded that Mayor Brad J Cohen "take responsibility...apologize to the Muslim constituents" and consider stepping aside if bias prevents fair governance.
Speakers reported hateful, violent and Islamophobic comments circulating on social media tied to the image. Several callers asked the township to review whether laws were broken when the students' photos were shared and to consider increased police presence at school events until threats subside.
Council members said the town will prioritize a healing process and offered local resources — including the Interfaith clergy group and Human Relations Council — to help convene community dialogues. They also noted that the Board of Education's independent investigation remains ongoing and that when its findings are released they will be made public.
No formal municipal sanction of the Board of Education was enacted at the meeting. The council pledged to examine local avenues — from policing to community programming — to protect students and rebuild trust while the school investigation proceeds.
What happens next: Council members said they would look into possible steps to support student safety and sponsor community healing events; the Board of Education's independent investigation is expected to determine any disciplinary or legal follow‑up within the school system.
