Marquette Area Public Schools board members express concern after receiving harassment

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Two Marquette Area Public Schools (MAPS) board members addressed online harassment they have been receiving at Monday night’s meeting.

Jennifer Ray and Jennifer Klipp said people have been falsely accusing them of crimes and harassing them online.

Ray and Klipp said harassment picked up after they voted to remove the district’s former ‘Redmen’ and ‘Redette’ nicknames in July.

After voting to do so, the two board members also had a recall petition submitted against them by a Marquette Township resident. That recall petition ultimately failed.

At Monday night’s meeting, Ray said she has been getting harassed for more than three years.

Specifically, Ray said she has been accused of kicking and spitting on cars and jumping on the hood of a police car. She added that these allegations stem from a Marquette Black Lives Matter protest she was at in May 2020.

Ray said that videos and pictures circulating of the event show that she was not doing either of those things and that the allegations against her are “lies” and “harassment.”

Klipp said she has also been accused online of committing crimes but did not specify what they were at Monday’s meeting.

Both Ray and Klipp said they deny all of the allegations against them, saying they are false and damaging to them and their families.

“This community suffered a tragedy 15 months ago because of cyberbullying,” Klipp said, referring to the suicide death of Marquette Senior High School student Jordan DeMay.

Klipp continued, “It made worldwide news and then I still see adults cyberbullying consistently.”

Both Klipp and Ray said they have spoken with lawyers and could take legal action if the harassment continues.

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