Parents and faculty from the Newark School of the Arts are circulating a petition calling on its executive director and board chair to resign, following the abrupt shutdown of the afterschool and weekend arts academy last month.

“Our goal is 500 signatures,” said Paddie Donohue of Newark, whose grandchildren’s piano lessons were cut short this fall due to the closing. “And we want to take it to the board and tell them, leave.”

Donohue said she and other members of the tightly-knit School of the Arts community had gathered about 100 signatures via a petition being circulated via email in the form of a Google document.

It states, “Petition for Leadership Resignation at Newark School of the Arts: Petion for the removal of the current Board Chair and Executive Director of NSA.”

NSA Execu

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