Walcott rocked by hostile reception Watch video
Furious parents assailed Dennis Walcott at Petrides meeting.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Just as quickly as the plan emerged, it has been scrapped.
Following Wednesday night's raucous meeting with hundreds of Staten Island parents, city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said he will not move to put an Alternate Learning Center on the campus of the Michael J. Petrides Educational Complex.
At the same time, he pronounced himself "upset and offended" by the comments and behavior of some parents.
"I understand that parents have concerns and I value their feedback, but the vitriol and hostility toward our students was not acceptable, and for a variety of reasons I no longer feel comfortable moving forward with placing the ALC on the Petrides campus," Walcott said in a statement.
DAY-AFTER DECISION
The decision came on the day after a Panel for Educational Policy meeting -- scheduled weeks ago -- at the Sunnyside school. The proposal to put middle school students on superintendent's suspension in an administrative building at Petrides wasn't on the agenda but it dominated the meeting.
Dozens of parents chastised Walcott over the plan during the general comment portion of the meeting, and plenty didn't wait their turn. The proceedings were rife with people in the crowd shouting at Walcott and the panel whenever they tried to speak, and booing when the chancellor said he's responsible for educating all children, even those who are suspended.
The center would have been for students who had committed level 4 or 5 violations of the Department of Education disciplinary code, but Walcott said Wednesday that the most serious offenders, with year-long suspensions, wouldn't be sent to Petrides.
The proposal to put the center there came after elected officials and others complained there was no ALC for suspended high school students on the Island. The city proposed moving middle schoolers, who currently have a center at Mount Loretto, to Petrides, and putting high school students at Mount Loretto.
Now, the Department of Education will look elsewhere.
"I've asked my team to look for other locations on Staten Island, which we originally did in response to concerns about Staten Island students having to travel to other boroughs," Walcott said. "But at the end of the day, everyone has to remember that these are Staten Island students, and while they may have disciplinary issues that need to be addressed, these are still our students and we have to work to make sure all of our students succeed."
PTA PLEASED
For Petrides PTA co-president Lori Fiorito, the decision was welcome news.
"We're thrilled," she said. "We're so thrilled."
Walcott made an unannounced visit to Petrides yesterday, and then personally called her in the afternoon, Ms. Fiorito said.
"I did apologize for the crowd. The crowd was so rowdy," Ms. Fiorito said. "And he said, 'I respect you for apologizing but it goes with the job.'"
She attributed Walcott's change of heart to a mix of concern about the vitriol and concern about the site itself.
"When he came back today, I think he saw in the light of day, for himself, where the building was actually situated," she said.
She wanted him to see where the suspended children would be -- close to young students in what could be a dangerous situation, but also forced to watch others play outside and enjoy themselves while they were kept locked away.
"I believe everyone should get an education, and that's what I stressed last night," she said. "But not here, because it's not a good fit."
OFFICE-HOLDERS REACT
Borough President James Molinaro said he had been in contact with Walcott throughout the last two days.
"It's in the best interest of everyone that it's gone," Molinaro said. "That's not saying that these children that are being sent out to Brooklyn and Manhattan, that they shouldn't have a better opportunity, to stay on Staten Island."
He said there was a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation among parents, and emphasized that the children at question are not criminals. Molinaro commended Walcott for trying to reach out to the students, and give them more structure by setting up a center on Staten Island that they might be more willing to attend.
"I have to commend the chancellor for realizing that these children are part of our society, and part of our borough," he said.
Molinaro said he has seen this kind of reaction before -- whenever he tries to site a community group residence.
"Every group said, 'Oh, we're not opposed to them, but not here,'" he said. "But if not here, where?"
City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid Island/Brooklyn) said he wasn't surprised that people reacted poorly to Walcott -- although he said there was no excuse for some of the behavior.
"I think that when you present this plan in the manner that they did. not giving the elected officials a lot of notice, you can expect to have parents acting that way, for some parents to say some hurtful things," he said.
FINDING A NEW SITE
Oddo said the ALC at Mount Loretto has been very successful, and he's happy that program will not be tinkered with. He said Walcott's decision manages to leave that program alone, avoids creating a negative dynamic at Petrides and accomplishes one other goal.
"It does restore some of Staten Island's faith in the Department of Education," he said. "And I think that was sorely needed after the school bus issue."
The next step, he said, is for all of the borough's elected officials to get together with Walcott and figure out the proper place for the ALC. Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) agreed. He said just the "minority" of parents behaved badly at the meeting.
"That should not totally blind him to the reality that this was a bad fit for all involved," he said.
Councilwoman Debi Rose, (D-North Shore) said that when the discussion for the new location commences, it needs to be an open one.
"I was upset that there had not been any due process where parents and elected officials were given time to discuss and provide feedback about that proposal," she said. "DOE is always quick to shove whatever they want, or they think is good for us, down our throats. But when we want something, they are often noncompliant."