Murphy demands NJ school official to resign amid ‘heinous’ accusations

🔴 School board president accused of sexual abuse

🔴 Murphy's office calls allegations "appalling and heinous"

🔴 He has taken a leave of absence, a report said

CAMDEN — Gov. Murphy is calling for Camden's school board president to step down as the former teacher faces accusations of sexual abuse and grooming in a shocking lawsuit, according to a published report.

Wasim Muhammad will face his accuser in Camden County Superior Court for a civil trial scheduled for Feb. 5, according to court records.

The woman, now in her 40s, said in a lawsuit that Muhammad began grooming and sexually abusing her in the 90s when she was a student in his social studies class at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School in Camden.

Murphy demands resignation

Muhammad, who changed his name from Don Walker, is now president of the Camden City School District advisory board. He is also a Nation of Islam minister and an anti-violence advocate.

Gov. Murphy is demanding Muhammad to resign, spokesperson Maggie Garbarino said.

"While we understand litigation is ongoing, the appalling and heinous nature of these allegations casts doubt on Mr. Muhammad's ability to effectively serve the Camden City School District. The Governor believes he should immediately resign," Garbarino said.

Among the accusations are that Muhammad brought the girl to a pornographic theater and forced her to have sex with another man. He also brought her back to his home for sexual activity involving his wife, according to the lawsuit.

School board president takes leave of absence

Muhammad has taken a leave of absence but maintains his innocence, according to the report.

His attorney, Troy Archie, said to NJ.com that there's no evidence behind the accusations that go back to over 30 years ago.

The accuser said to NJ.com, through her attorney, that she was only able to file the lawsuit in 2021 because of a new law.

In 2019, Murphy signed a bill providing a two-year window to victims who had previously been prevented from filing civil suits because of the statute of limitations.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom