New York City public school parent and member of the Community Education Council 2 (CEC 2), Maud Maron, is a well-known advocate for parent rights and high-quality public school education. However, her outspoken nature and conservative views on certain issues have put her at odds with progressive education reformers. Reports indicate that the New York City Department of Education is initiating disciplinary procedures that may lead to the removal of Maron’s position on the education council.
According to a report by the New York Daily News on April 21, the Department of Education received complaints and will begin disciplinary actions this Wednesday against three members of the Community Education Councils, including Maron from CEC 2 who supported banning transgender individuals from participating in women’s sports, as well as Tajh Sutton, chair of CEC 14, who organized a student boycott in protest of the Israel-Palestine conflict last November.
Maron is facing complaints due to her conservative stance on gender issues. A petition calling for her removal from the Student Leadership Team at Stevenson High School has garnered 737 signatures. The petition cites the Southern Poverty Law Center, labeling Maron’s involvement with the conservative group Moms for Liberty as an “extreme right-wing organization.”
On March 26 of this year, Maron and two other members of Moms for Liberty, Deborah Alexander and Noah Harlan, filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District Federal Court of New York, accusing CEC 14 and its chair Sutton, along with the Department of Education, of silencing those with differing ideologies from participating in public events.
Moms for Liberty alleges that CEC 14 engaged in censorship and attempted to suppress conservative voices, violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and infringing upon their freedom of speech rights.
The disciplinary procedures initiated by the Department of Education are based on Chancellor’s Regulation D-210, a law passed by the New York State legislature at the end of 2021. This law authorizes the Chancellor to review and revoke the qualifications of district education council members based on parental complaints through citywide and district-level guidelines and complaint procedures.
In addition to being a member of Moms for Liberty advocating for parental rights, Maron is also a co-founder of the parent advocacy organization PLACE NYC. Current chair Yiatin Chu expressed concerns about D-210, stating, “This is canceling the right of parents to be involved in their children’s education.”
Sutton, the CEC 14 chair facing legal action from Moms for Liberty, is also targeted for “cleanup” by the Department of Education for leading students in protests related to the conflict in Syria and violating state laws multiple times.
If Maron and Sutton face disciplinary action, it would mark the first time the New York City Department of Education has taken steps to revoke or suspend the qualifications of district education council members.
In a report by the New York Post on April 20, Chancellor of Education David Banks criticized Sutton’s leadership of the council for facilitating citywide student walkouts to protest the Israel-Hamas conflict, indicating that the council “failed to operate effectively.”
Banks accused Sutton of violating several state laws, one of which could result in a permanent ban on her serving on any citywide committees. In a three-page letter, Banks critiqued her leadership, stating, “Under your guidance, the council appears to selectively represent the parents in the district and prevent them from attending and participating in council meetings for dubious reasons, without addressing or resolving parents’ concerns.”
On November 12 last year, a video surfaced on the “X” platform showing New York City students supporting Palestine in a rally, with students wearing veils and chanting anti-Jewish slogans. The rally, led by Sutton according to Andy Ngô, reached 3.38 million views to date.
This is not Sutton’s first involvement in student activism. In addition to chairing CEC 14, she serves as project manager of Teens Take Charge and is a member of the New York chapter of Black Lives Matter at School NY.
In an exclusive report by this publication in May 2021, Sutton led a group of high school students from Teens Take Charge in a gathering outside Stevenson High School, demanding the repeal of the Hecht-Calandra Act protecting special high school admissions tests and chanting “Black Lives Matter.”
Sutton clarified in an interview with this publication that the rally aimed to oppose racism and the SHSAT, not to target Asian students for overrepresentation in specialized high schools, but to advocate for all minority voices.