When the black, white, and Puerto Rican community activists in attendance (many of whom had been associated with the IS 201 controversy) insisted that one of their cohort be allowed to speak—in contravention of formal procedure—board officials walked out. Once they left, the activists remained in the chamber, proclaiming themselves the Ad Hoc Board of Education for the People of the City of New York—soon known as the People’s Board of Education.
