By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Township police were called to the Board of Education meeting Thursday in response to a call from a board member who said a member of the public was being disruptive.
Police were dispatched to the Upper Middle School Media Center at around 9:30 p.m., Montgomery Police Lt. James Curry said.
The individual, township resident Mohamed Kilany, regularly attends school board meetings and speaks during public comment, questioning the board’s financial decisions.
At the board’s previous meeting, a public hearing on the district budget, board member Mark Conforti and Mr. Kilany held a heated exchange over his accusations, all of which the board says are unfounded. In one instance, Mr. Kilani accused a district official of showing favoritism to an organization that uses school facilities.
Mr. Conforti, who is not running for reelection, walked away from the dais as a result of the exchange.
At the meeting Tuesday, the board member who contacted police reported that Mr. Kilany was continually interrupting board members when they tried to respond to him, and it was disrupting the meeting, Lt. Curry said.
The police mediated the situation, and there were no charges filed against Mr. Kilany, he said. “He was allowed to remain at the meeting as long as he refrained from disrupting the meeting, and he complied,” Lt. Curry said.
The officer remained at the meeting for about 45 minutes, he said.
In a letter to The Princeton Packet, Board President David Pettit said appropriate action was taken to respond to such disruptive behavior by a member of the public.
”Unfortunately, there are isolated individuals in our community who create a hostile environment at Board of Education meetings by making slanderous and abusive remarks about Board members, members of our Administration, teachers, other community members and by shouting out of turn when alternative views are expressed,” he said. “The out of order disruptions interfere with the Board’s ability to do the work of the people of Montgomery.”

