NYC Dept of Education facing protest over diversity plan

[Anonymous]

https://www.thecity.nyc/queens/2019/12/5/21210685/queens-parents-bristle-at-school-district-s-path-to-diversity-plan

No decisions are final, yet parents are in an uproar:

assignments.

“You shouldn’t be forcing people to move and uproot their lives so that (the Department of Education) can make a new chart next year,” said Irene Raevsky, a parent from Forest Hills. “If you’re asking for dezoning or setting aside percentages for zoned schools, it’s going to be a problem.… We are not going to take it lying down, OK?”

The diversity push follows years of debate over the often sharp racial, ethnic and class differences among public schools within districts. Any final recommendations would have to be approved by Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, who also have been trying to diversify the city’s elite high schools.


. . . Consultants from WXY, a firm hired by the Department of Education to guide planning, presided as parents in the standing-room-only crowd peppered them with questions and heated statements.

Parents repeatedly asked about the composition of a working group of residents, students and educators who will advise officials. They also wanted to know whether proposed recommendations would reduce their children’s chances of being accepted to their first-choice schools.

The forum was abruptly cut off after two hours, leaving dozens of parents’ grievances unheard.

Adam Lubinsky, a managing principal at WXY, said there were “a lot of strong feelings” at the meeting, but noted “we are here to listen.”


But Grace Chang, the mother of a kindergartener in Forest Hills, declared the meeting a disappointment.

“They did not say anything,” she said. ”They did not give straight answers.”

[Anonymous]

Forest Hills is my old 'hood. The school system there is a disaster for students beyond elementary school. Many students test out (or lottery out) of their "zone schools", so rezoning isn't as impactful. If we hadn't left the area, my DCs would have had to commute on the public NYC bus, with a transfer, to get to their zoned middle school. Not sure that the WXY plan is a good solution, but something needs changing.