Silke Jasso
Park Slope Collegiate is not your typical high school; the institution has been championed as a beacon of desegregation. In 2014, their campus (which is 85% black and Hispanic) was profiled in New York Magazine in an article titled “New York State has the most segregated schools in the nation–Park Slope Collegiate was determined not to be one of them.”
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The secondary school is led by Principal Jill Bloomberg, who has consistently protested racial segregation. But in a new lawsuit, Bloomberg claims that she is being improperly investigated by the Department of Education under suspicion of “communist activities.”
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The New York Daily News reported that on Jan. 10, Bloomberg sent a “damning complaint” to the DOE, accusing them of “racial discrimination and segregation.” Following that letter, a Department of Education investigator met with the Park Slope Collegiate assistant principal and asked if she had seen anyone “engaging in communist activities.”
In response, Bloomberg filed a lawsuit against the city’s DOE; and, according to WNYC, her lawyers call the allegations against her “dangerous because of its vague allegations.” On Monday, the principal told reporters, “My political activities have been so public and transparent.” The DOE investigation against her reportedly states that she recruited students “to participate in organizational activities, including marches for her political organization.”
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WNYC reported that there have been a number of incidents when teachers were warned that they were being too political. For example, teachers have been told to take down “Black Lives Matter” and “Immigrants Are Welcome” signs. According to a post on the school’s website, Bloomberg was told of the investigation in early March. Additionally, “current and alumni parents are joining together to declare in no uncertain terms that [they are] behind Jill completely.”
