The controversy surrounding the Bridgeport Board of Education reached a new high Tuesday as members battled over the status of a meeting.

The board was supposed to meet at the Geraldine Johnson School at 6:30 p.m. However, a notice from board chairman Dennis Bradley on the BOE's website states the meeting was canceled.

Some board members say Bradley cannot do that, and four of them showed up for the meeting anyway. They also say they received an email from Bradley saying that anyone entering a school without authority can be arrested for trespassing.

The members who attended the meeting say they still held it because they believed they had a quorum, or simple majority that would make it valid. One member says the cancellation was called in an effort to push out board member Maria Pereira from office. Last week, Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz accused Pereira of discrediting work done for the school district, leading her to resign.

News 12 is told that another civil lawsuit will be filed in regard to Tuesday's meeting, alleging that canceling it and preventing people from going inside violated the law.

This marks the latest disagreement among the divided school board. Since the members convened more than a month ago, there have been lawsuits filed and some members have been called on to resign.

In the meantime, parents and some board members say work is not getting done, such as finding a new superintendent.

The chairman scheduled a special session for Wednesday. News 12 reached out to him for comment, but has not yet heard back.