District 15 parents seek answers from Schools Chancellor Fariña

Questions about wheelchair accessibility, high-stakes testing, overcrowding, transportation and changing curriculums were among the myriad issues brought up at a Tuesday, May 6 town hall meeting between District 15 families and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña—herself a former D15 superintendent, principal and teacher—inside Sunset Park’s P.S. 172 auditorium.

Greeting the standing room-only crowd of about 200 people, Fariña, who came out of retirement to accept the chancellorship in January of this year, discussed how delighted she is to be back to tackle bigger-picture projects to support city public school students and families.

Teen Thursdays is one of those new projects and, as of May 8, will see neighborhood cultural institutions host teens after school for educational and cultural activities.

The majority of the meeting, though, focused on a question-and-answer session, during which parents challenged—politely and, sometimes, emotionally—Fariña with their concerns.

Addressing parent anxiety over the negative impact of high-stakes testing on students and teachers, Fariña said she has been meeting with principals to discuss possibly holding standardized exams over three, instead of two, days, in order to reduce stress levels.

“We’re never going to have no testing [so] we have to make sure teachers are teaching to what is tested,” Fariña explained. “I do feel that test prep is killing the joy of doing what you love to do, but testing is not wrong. It helps us plan the next day. It [is relevant for] life.”

Another common refrain was concern about overcrowding, which Fariña said she understands, but noted that 30-plus students per class is “not outrageous for third grade” anymore.

A lack of wheelchair accessible elementary and middle schools was also brought up by a Park Slope mother who said that her daughter couldn’t attend the highly-regarded P.S. 321 despite being eligible—solely because the school does not have an elevator.

“Only two schools in D15 are functionally accessible,” said the mother. “What does it say about our city and what we’re teaching them that we’re excluding them?

“Our inclusion school doesn’t have an elevator either,” she went on. “I know it’s challenging, but we’re 25 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students should be able to apply to any school they want [and] schools should make accommodations as needed.”

In response, Fariña questioned the mother’s statistics on number of ADA-accessible schools in the district, but noted that “new schools will have a different footprint,” and admitted that “for current schools, you’ve given me something to think about.”

Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm also noted that “there is money in the July 2015-2016 capital plan for a new school building in each district.”

Grimm’s statement was echoed by city Department of Education spokesperson Marge Feinberg, who stated that “every district has a program that is accessible” and “we have included a pilot in the proposed capital plan to do a district-by-district assessment to determine new locations where it would make sense to increase accessibility.”

The event, organized by and held during the monthly meeting of the local school board, Community Education Council 15.