SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Springfield school board vice president Maryam Mohammadkhani is accused of disrupting a student session at the youth empowerment summit last Thursday.

At the end of Tuesday’s school board meeting, members voted to unseat Mohammadkhani as the vice president.

Wendy Riley- Washington, a senior from Kickapoo High School said she knew she had to take a stand and speak at the school board meeting.

“When we thought we had finally had a safe space for our testimonies, a certain member of the board proved us otherwise,” said Riley-Washington.

“I’m truly not afraid of nothing. So it’s just like I knew at that moment that the only way I can ensure that it’s going to get done is if I go and do it myself.”

Since this incident, Burrell Behavioral Health and the Springfield chapter of the NAACP have released statements calling the disruption inappropriate.

Since this incident, many students wrote to the SPS Board of Education explaining how the incident affected them.

Many saying the incident made them feel their experience was completely invalidated.

“It’s the fact that this person is in a position to educate our children at the future of our society and that they think it’s okay to interrupt a moment, that it’s a safe space,” said Kickapoo senior, Kekelie Ketonou.

The students say this vote showed that their voices made a difference.

“To think that your voice can actually have that impact. It makes me want to keep striving and it makes me want to move on to bigger things,” said Riley-Washington.

I have reached out to Mohammadkhani… But she has not responded.