Christina school board member sues district over colleague’s residency

An outspoken member of the Christina Board of Education is asking a Delaware court to declare that a fellow school board member is not a resident of the district, and therefore ineligible to serve on the board.

Doug Manley made the request on Wednesday through a legal complaint filed in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, in which he stated that the rival board member, Naveed Baqir “has not even been present in the United States” for the past 14 months.   

The complaint is the latest chapter in at least a year of acrimony in one of Delaware’s largest school districts, sparked by questions of Baqir’s residency, by last year’s termination of the district’s superintendent, and by a state Justice Department ruling that the board violated Delaware open records laws. 

In his suit, Manley claims that the Christina School District failed to follow Delaware laws that obligate its governing board to notify the public and the state Department of Elections about board member vacancies no more than five days after one occurs.

As a result, the Board of Education has allowed Baqir to “continue actively and wrongfully participating” at board meetings, Manley claims.  

Manley filed his complaint one week after the Christina School Board voted 4-3 vote to make Deirdra Joyner the district’s next superintendent. Baqir was among the three no votes.  

Baqir did not respond to a request to comment for this story.  But, last fall, when facing a similar criticism, Baqir said during a school board meeting that his legal residency is within the Christina School District.

“Just because somebody has to go out for study to take care of families, that does not make them a non-resident,” he said.

He made the comment after Manley had alleged during that meeting that Baqir had used a false home address when filing to run for his school board position.

Asked whether he believes Baqir is a resident of the Bear area that he represents, Christina Board President Donald Patton told Spotlight Delaware in a statement Thursday that the district’s legal team had instructed all board members, including Manley, that Baqir “is currently a legal resident unless a court or the Board of Elections say otherwise.”

“I fully support his decision to legally remain on the board and leave if and when he decides, not based on individuals who are very questionable at best,” Patton said.

Patton also said that Baqir will be making a decision regarding his status on the board “in the near future.”

What preceded the lawsuit?

Baqir has not attended a board meeting in person since Jan. 4, 2024, instead participating virtually.

Manley and one other Christina board member, Monica Moriak, have asserted that he has been absent because he is living in Pakistan.

Manley made the charge in July during a meeting in which board members voted to place the district’s Superintendent Dan Shelton on an indefinite administrative leave. Baqir voted in favor, as part of a four-member bloc of board members who typically vote together.

Manley voted against removing Shelton from his position. During the meeting, he argued that Baqir’s votes should not be counted, because of his doubts about residency.

Following the comments, Patton declared Manley out of order, saying, “So what I’m not going to do tonight is entertain this nonsense,” as reported by Delaware Public Media.

One month after that acrimonious meeting, WHYY reported that a private religious school in Newark that Baqir co-founded was the subject of a grand jury investigation into nearly $11 million in federal funding it received for COVID-era school meal program.

Last month, Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-Bear) sponsored two bills that she said are in response to Baqir’s physical absence from the district.

The measures – House Bill 82 and House Bill 83 – would require that school board members live within their district’s footprint, and that they attend meetings in person, with exceptions only for health reasons or military deployments.

Both bills passed out of committee last month. Last week, House Bill 83 passed the full House overwhelmingly, and awaits consideration in the Senate.