A group of parents — sparked by the recent arrest of a Manhattan teacher for allegedly assaulting a 7-year-old — demanded Thursday the city release the names of all teachers with a history of violent crimes.
Osman Couey, a teacher at Public School 194 in Harlem had previously been reprimanded for verbal abuse and corporal punishment.
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“Here is what sickens me as a mother — the Department of Education knew this man’s repeated violent behavior for 10 years,” Shamona Kirkland, a parent organizer for Families for Excellent Schools, said at a press conference on the steps of City Hall. “There is a culture of violence the Department of Education is allowing to continue in our New York City Public Schools.”
Kirkland said she filed a Freedom of Information request with the city on Thursday in an effort to force them to release the names.
The education reform group, which is a strong proponent of charter schools, recently released a report saying the city has been understating the number of violent incidents in its schools.
City officials disputed the findings, saying crime is actually dropping in schools.
“Having great teachers in every classroom is a top priority, and we have procedures and tools in place to remove teachers who don’t create safe and supportive environments for students and families,” said Education Department spokeswoman Devora Kaye. “We’ll continue to use these procedures to thoroughly investigate and address complaints, and ensure students are safe and secure in New York City classrooms.”
Agency officials said they will provide personnel history if it is requested, under the state FOIL law. They also said parents can reach out to school administrators as well as the Special Commissioner of Investigation to discuss concerns about school employees.
Also on Thursday, another group of parents gathered at City Hall to call on Families for Excellent Schools to pull its television commercials, saying they were inflammatory and racist.
The ad campaign titled “We Demand #SafeSchoolsNow” shows children in class while a police siren wails, as statistics about Big Apple school violence flash on the screen.
Zakiyah Ansari of the Alliance for Quality Education called the ads “fear mongering” and said they are “part of a long disturbing history of the dehumanization and criminalization of black and Latino children.”