Hellscape High

NY Post

Hundreds of “radicalized” kids rampaged through the halls of a Queens high school this week for nearly two hours after they discovered a teacher had attended a pro-Israel rally — forcing the terrified educator to hide in a locked office as the teen mob tried to push its way into her classroom, The Post has learned.

The mayhem at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica unfolded shortly after 11 a.m. Monday in what students called a pre-planned protest over the teacher’s Facebook profile photo showing her at a pro-Israel rally on Queens Oct. 9 holding a poster saying, “I stand with Israel.”

“The teacher was seen holding a sign of Israel, like supporting it,” a senior told The Post this week.

“A bunch of kids decided to make a group chat, expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot.”

Hundreds of kids flooded into hallways and ran amok, chanting, jumping, shouting, and waving Palestinian flags or banners. 

Many tried to barge into the teacher’s classroom despite school staffers blocking their entry.

“Everyone was yelling ‘Free Palestine!’” a senior said.

“Everyone was screaming ‘(The teacher) needs to go!’” a ninth-grader said. 

NY Post

Four students were arrested for allegedly assaulting school safety agents who were trying to break up a fight inside Hillcrest High School less than a week before a mob of kids rampaged through the halls of the Queens school over a teacher attending a pro-Israel rally.  

Shocking video that captured part of the harrowing attack on one NYPD officer was posted to social media Sunday night and later verified by the NYPD.

The brawl broke out around noon Nov. 15 when three students were fighting two other students.

School safety agents attempted to break up the fight but became the target of several blows themselves, police said.

In total, three NYPD school officers were injured as they tried to separate the students during the melee, cops said.

Four of the students, two 15-year-old boys and two 16-year-old boys, were arrested and issued juvenile reports, according to the NYPD.

The department gives out juvenile reports in lieu of a misdemeanor or felony charge when the suspects are young minors.

Footage of the incident shared by Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino on X shows a student in a gray sweatshirt appearing to spin away from a cop, out of her grip, and then charge at another student who is quickly blocked by a second uniformed officer.

Hundreds of kids flooded into hallways and ran amok, chanting, jumping, shouting, and waving Palestinian flags or banners. 

Many tried to barge into the teacher’s classroom despite school staffers blocking their entry.

“Everyone was yelling ‘Free Palestine!’” a senior said.

“Everyone was screaming ‘(The teacher) needs to go!’” a ninth-grader said. 

 

 

High schools have seen a surge of weapons confiscations since de Blasio's reopening order

 

 

NY Post

Some New York kids returning to in-person high school this month appear to have packed a little more than their lunch, according to a top NYPD official.

Deputy Chief Olufunmilola Obe warned in a memo Tuesday that the NYPD has seen a surge in dangerous weapons recoveries at Department of Education buildings –accompanying the reopening of city high schools last week.

“The undersigned has observed an increase in the amount of weapons and dangerous instruments recovered on school grounds,” she wrote.

“The increase coincides with the commencement of in-person learning at NYC public high schools on Monday March 22 2021.”

According to the memo, 25 unspecified weapons were recovered over the course of five days.

Obe wrote that seven of the 25 weapons were discovered through school metal detectors while another 12 were found at the “perimeter” of DOE buildings.

Another 6 weapons were taken directly off of students, she wrote.

School Safety Agent union boss Greg Floyd, who wants to block the transfer of school-safety duties from the NYPD to the DOE, said the news should alarm city families.

“The group pushing for the NYPD to be taken out should take note of the job being done here to recover these weapons,” he said Wednesday. “I want to let parents know — you take the agents out of the schools and there will be no one to stop them from coming in.”

 

New high school to be built in LIC

From DNA Info:

The city will construct a new high school with room for nearly 1,000 students in Dutch Kills, according to the Department of Education.

The new school, a four-story building set to include 969 seats, will rise at 40-11 28th St. between 40th and 41st avenues, a DOE spokesman said.

In addition to classrooms, the facility will include a gymnasium, library, cafeteria and kitchen, according to plans from School Construction Authority filed with the Department of Buildings Friday.

The school, which does not yet have a name, will be located right next door to the existing Newcomers High School and down the block from the Academy of American Studies, another high school.

Maspeth High School refuses to take local kids

Well I have been getting a flood of emails from parents of kids who applied to get in to Maspeth High School this September. So far it's been confirmed that NONE of the kids attending parochial schools in the community board 5 area were accepted to the school and those monitoring the situation are having trouble finding public school kids who got in as well. When the school was built, there was controversy over it in part because the DOE would not guarantee admission to local kids. They did say that the school would take students who reside within school district 24 before accepting kids from outside of it. Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood are part of district 24 along with Elmhurst and Corona. Although the DOE claims it chooses the students by lottery it seems implausible that every kid within CB5 would be so unlucky.

Has this happened at high schools in any other community or is this another form of retribution from de Blasio?

No high school for Linden Place

From the Times Ledger:

City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña has decided the city Department of Education will no longer be placing a high school inside its building at 30-48 Linden Place after significant community opposition to the proposal, elected officials and community leaders said Friday.

After receiving confirmation in July from DOE staff that the site would be used for a high school for more than 450 students, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) met with Farina to express his opposition to the proposal due to student safety and traffic congestion concerns.

Koo made the announcement at a news conference in front of the building Friday afternoon, along with state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing); Arlene Fleishman, president of the Mitchell-Linden Civic Association; and Chuck Apelian, first vice chairman of Community Board 7.

“Maybe the chancellor realized this is not a good place to put a high school,” Koo said.

At the meeting, Fariña told Koo the plans to build a high school would no longer go forward. Koo’s office received written confirmation from DOE staff.

DOE withdraws purchase of school site that Vallone said couldn't be stopped

From the Times Ledger:

The city School Construction Authority has announced it would rescind its contract to purchase the Bayside Jewish Center along with its plans to build a 739-seat high school on the site, ending a controversy over which has been growing for months.

SCA President and CEO Lorraine Grillo issued a statement Tuesday making the announcement:

“In addition to building great schools that foster a welcoming environment for our students and families, we are laser focused on identifying appropriate locations to increase capacity in a city where space is at a premium,” Grillo said. “Unfortunat­ely, we have been unable to reach a consensus with Bayside residents and local elected officials on our proposed development site for a new high school in their neighborhood. The proposal will not be moving forward; however, we remain committed to addressing overcrowding communities face.”

This comes after Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) wrote a letter Friday, asking the SCA to halt its proposal before it went to the City Council for a vote. State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) held a rally Saturday calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to put a stop to the contract. But ultimately Grillo caved in to mounting community concerns.

Wasn't it Vallone who said this process couldn't be stopped?

How leaders feel about new Bayside high school

Tony Avella speaks at CB11 meeting

Paul Vallone says he is opposed to school

Steve Behar explains how Council votes with home rule member

Bayside residents overwhelmingly oppose new high school

From the NY Times:

Critics attacked the authority’s process for selecting a site, saying it should have involved community input from the beginning — well before a contract was signed.

Some speakers argued that since the overcrowding in Bayside was partly caused by students traveling from other parts of the city, new schools should be opened in those areas instead.

Several speakers directed their fury at Paul A. Vallone, the councilman who represents Bayside. Opponents of the proposal have complained that he has not taken a sufficiently aggressive stand against the project. His position on the matter could influence the rest of the Council, they contend.

“Can a council member be impeached or recalled?” one speaker asked, provoking a chorus of cheers and whoops.

At the conclusion of the two-hour meeting, the community board overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, with only one member voting for it.

On Monday, Mr. Vallone issued a statement saying that as a result of the vote, he would “stand in opposition to this site, despite the community board’s repeated requests for a specialized high school in the district for nearly a decade.”

A representative from the Construction Authority, however, said the city would nonetheless press forward with its plan for the new high school.

Bayside community not fooled by SCA & Vallone

Received from someone who did a lot of homework on the Bayside high school/Paul Vallone issue:

32nd Avenue Construction

City lied to Koo about Linden Place high school

From the Times Ledger:

Elected officials and civic leaders say they are against an SCA proposal to build a high school on Linden Place in Flushing in an area they say has many facilities and traffic problems.

The School Construction Authority announced a plan to convert 30-48 Linden Place—a building that currently houses offices for Community School District 25 Superintendent Danielle Dimango, District 25 staff and the community education council —into High School 859.

In a letter dated May 27 to City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing)said residents told him maintenance workers on the site were seen removing furniture for a new high school despite being told by the DOE that the plan was not being pursued.

Justin Brannan, deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, responded to Koo’s letter June 23 confirming that the building is being converted into a high school at Farina’s request.

Brannan also noted that because the DOE owns the building, it is not required to participate in a public process and that a portion of the building is being used as an alternate learning center for high school students.

Koo said there is a need for a good high school in Flushing but that another location should be considered, saying he needs more details.

Bayside residents unhappy with high school proposal

From the Queens Courier:

Bayside residents showed up in large numbers to Monday’s Community Board 11 (CB 11) meeting to contend with a proposed high school planned for the former Bayside Jewish Center.

Although many were interested in speaking on the issue of the proposed school, most of the attendees had not realized they needed to pre-register for the public participation segment of the evening and were not allowed to have the floor. The few who did get to speak out against the school received a raucous applause from the rest of the audience.

“Put simply, this project is not needed and is not wanted,” said Nancy Kupferberg, a Bayside resident who has had two of her children attend nearby Bayside High School. Kupferberg appeared on behalf of many others to present a total of 3,100 letters from community residents, students and staff members to express their concerns about the proposal.

“What my experience tells me is that we don’t want this,” added Ana Baires, a resident of the area around Bayside High School. She spoke of teenagers loitering around her house and causing trouble.

The residents were so eager to speak on the matter that many members of the frustrated crowd spilled out into the hallway. Chairwoman Christine Haider said a discussion will be held in the future when the community board has more information about the project.

I have it on good authority that

• over 3000 individual letters that were written by residents opposing the school were brought to the meeting
• CB 11 warned the rep from Vallone's office that the SCA better not hold any meetings during the summer
• the Principal of Bayside HS was not informed about the new school ahead of time and is totally upset with Vallone and the SCA about it.

Petition against new Flushing high school

Just wanted to make you aware of this petition against building a school in Flushing:

A new 481 seat High School is being planned for 30-48 Linden Place. This is where the Board of Education building now stands. The Mitchell-Linden Civic Association has already notified our legislators that this location is absolutely unacceptable for the following reasons: Directly across the street is a car wash, and two hotels. It is adjacent to the Whitestone Bowling Alley and only ½ block from an early child hood school. Within one to three blocks are two Nursery schools, two Senior Centers, and P.S. 214. This is the most congested and grid locked location in our entire community. It is also the pathway to the Pathmark Shopping Center.

I'm still trying to figure out why, since the birth rate has been low for quite some time, do we need a school built on every other block?

Bayside opposed to high school at Jewish center site

From the Queens Courier:

Residents living near the Bayside Jewish Center rallied with state Sen. Tony Avella on Thursday against a proposed high school planned for their neighborhood.

Around 75 people showed up at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and 204th Street and largely complained of overcrowded traffic and buses due to the existence of several other schools in the nearby vicinity, including a number of elementary schools and Bayside High School, which serves a student body of more than 3,000 only four blocks away.

While the protesters agreed that new schools should be built for local students, they did not think that their community could accommodate a school with a planned capacity of between 800 and 1,000 students.

Avella said the School Construction Authority (SCA) has systematically chosen school sites without the support of residents and elected officials, citing an unsuccessful 2013 outcry against an elementary school being built on 48th Avenue. He is introducing legislation which would amend education law to require detailed analyses to be made available upon the proposed construction of a new school in a city of over a million in population.

Councilman Paul Vallone, however, indicated that while compromises with the community will have to be made in the process leading up to the school’s construction, he looks forward to seeing a new school in his district, whether it is installed at the former Jewish center or at an alternative site.

Bayside getting a new high school

From the Queens Courier:

The School Construction Authority (SCA) plans to purchase the Bayside Jewish Center and transform it into a new public high school, according to Councilman Paul Vallone.

The new school will go a long way toward solving the issue of overcrowding in District 26 schools, which are at 130 percent capacity and currently short more than 3,400 seats. The new school is set to alleviate around 25 percent of that gap.

Vallone said that he is going to work with residents to lessen the impact that a new school would have on their everyday lives, including potential effects on parking availability and local traffic concerns.

“What is critical now is making sure that the community and community board are involved in every step of the way and that we work closely with the SCA to minimize the impact to the surrounding neighborhood,” Vallone said.

Hevesi has bad news for Glendale; Crowley wants school next to chemical plant

Glendale is getting a homeless shelter and there's nothing anyone can do about it, so Hevesi says.



And Liz Crowley wants a school there instead. (Even though there's explosive material being housed next door.)

Dromm opposed to ROTC

From the NY Post:

The head of the City Council’s Education Committee wants to shoot down the school system’s Junior ROTC programs — charging they’re training high-school students for a “war machine.”

Councilman Daniel Dromm, a Queens Democrat, said he has a “philosophical problem” with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs conducted in 14 schools.

“I always wondered why these programs are mainly in schools with students of color,” he said last week during a City Hall hearing. “I have concerns about the way they go about recruitment. It contributes to a war machine, and I have some problems with that.”

Schools officials were taken aback.

“I would appreciate the opportunity to take you out to see one or two of these schools,” Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm said.

But Dromm said he had already visited the programs and opposed their very existence.

“I really have a problem with . . . them being there. It sends a message to kids about armed forces and their policies, what happens when they move forward with college,” he said.

Dromm, who represents Jackson Heights, also called on the city to end its support of the federally subsidized program. The city pays the instructors who teach the courses.

DOT to clean pigeon poop from under LIE

From the Forum:

Maspeth’s councilwoman helped secure a new contract that would clean up the crud underneath several underpasses in the area.

City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth) announced an agreement with the state Department of Transportation honing in on the maintenance of underpasses below the Long Island Expressway on 74th Street and 80th Street in Maspeth. The spots have become nesting grounds for the unsightly things pigeons leave behind, the councilwoman said, but not for much longer.

“These underpasses are used by pedestrians going everywhere from P.S. 58 in Maspeth High School, to Elmhurst Park and the shops on Grand Avenue,” Crowley said in a statement. “This chronic pigeon nesting is a serious public health concern, and I am glad to see the DOT taking the appropriate steps.”

Under the new contract, the underpasses will be washed every three months with the first cleaning set for July, Crowley said. The contract was originally put out in February but was re-let by the state DOT because there was only one bidder.

Whitestone high school nixed

From the Queens Tribune:

The School Construction Authority has decided against placing a high school at a controversial site in Whitestone, after protests from the community and its councilman.

During a Queens Delegation briefing on April 17, SCA president Lorraine Grillo confirmed that the plot of land located at 150-33 6th Ave. in Whitestone is no longer under consideration for a new high school. The news came from Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside), who helped lead the community protests against the proposal over last summer.

Vallone, with the backing of civics such as the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association, personally delivered more than 500 signatures against the plan to Grillo. While the SCA had not purchased the land, which is privately-owned, it was considering the site for a new public high school. However, the community quickly came out against the idea, stating that there was a lack of infrastructure and transportation, making the site less than ideal for teachers, students and civilians. It would also have a negative impact on the quality of life for surrounding residents.

Grillo agreed with the councilman and community members, stating those factors as the reason why the Whitestone site is out of the running.

Good for them. However, I seriously doubt that it was lack of infrastructure and transportation or potential quality of life problems that killed this. When has SCA ever cared about any of that? More likely, someone important lives nearby or the site is contaminated beyond belief.

Queens is home to city's worst high school

From the NY Post:

They don’t want no education — especially if it’s at August Martin HS in Queens.

The troubled Springfield Gardens school is the least popular in the entire city, Department of Education statistics show.

Under New York’s open-enrollment system, all middle-schoolers apply to attend the high school of their choice. For academic powerhouses like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, the number of students who want to get in far exceeds the number of seats.

But so few asked to be placed in August Martin that it still has room to accept 774 students, DOE records revealed.

That number exceeds the 445 freshman seats August Martin normally has, since the DOE expects even students who pick the school in the second round to drop out or go somewhere else.

The DOE refused to say how many students have been assigned to the school for the fall so far.

It raises the question why August Martin is still in business, considering it had a dismal 39 percent graduation rate in 2013 and got an “F” in student performance and progress.

The school also has a reputation for violence. Students committed at least 72 offenses in the 2011-2012 school year, including eight assaults, two sex offenses and 19 instances of intimidation, state records show.

High schools still graduating unprepared students

From the NY Post:

A stunning 77.6 percent of NYC public-high-school graduates who entered CUNY community colleges as freshmen last fall needed remediation in math, reading or writing, new data show.

Despite their high-school diplomas, the grads failed CUNY admission tests in one or more of the key subjects, officials told The Post.

The only good news: The number of unprepared city grads dipped a modest 1.7 percentage points from 2012, when 79.3 percent of entering students needed to bone up on basics.

In releasing the damning data, CUNY cited success with a pre-community-college program it started four years ago to tackle the flood of unready students.

“CUNY Start” takes mostly high-school grads who fail at least two admission tests. They agree to postpone enrollment for up to six months to focus on raising their skills. Upon completion, about 70 percent pass a test they failed before, and 48 percent become “fully proficient,” or college ready, ­officials said Friday.

The abundance of ill-prepared grads is cited as evidence that city schools have handed out credits like candy to push kids along and out.