With much fanfare Mayor Michael Bloomberg showed up along with the head of the Archdioceses when the parochial High School, St. Francis Prep, reopened. However, when it came to the PS 177, a "special needs" public school, less than a mile from the High School, neither Mayor Bloomberg or Chancellor Joel Klein showed up for their reopening. How come? Were they too busy meeting with Al Sharpton and Charter School advocates or is the real reason that they don't care about the "special needs" students in a public school? These District 75 schools and students are not in the Kleinberg plans. The students in the District 75 school are largely untestable, require more services than a regular education student, and the parents are a real pain to both "City Hall and Tweed, as they rightfully demand an appropriate education for their children.
While I cannot look into the minds of Bloomberg and Klein on why they really didn't welcome back the students and staff, it is obvious to me that their recent actions such as limiting "special needs" students in new schools, not allowing parental input, and exempting Charter Schools to take their fair share of "special needs" students is evidence enough.
Interestingly, none of the newspapers or television networks commented on their non-attendance and of course, didn't ask Bloomberg or Klein why they weren't at the school. If I was a parent of a student or staff member at PS 177, I would have been quite upset with the two of them and would have demanded that they comment on their absence. Lies or not, the both of them should have been there. It is about the children, right?
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