MLB owners, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio
approve Steve Cohen as new Mets owner
New York City students won’t receive ‘F’
letter grades under new city grading policy
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELLDOMENECH
New York City public school
students struggling to complete
classwork will not get failing
grades during the 2020-21 school
year, officials announced earlier
this week.
Instead, failing K-5 grade
students will receive a grade
of “needs improvement” (N)
just like they have throughout
the pandemic. Under the new
guidelines, parents and guardians
can choose to have their
child’s passing letter grade
changed to a “meets standards”
grade. Elementary schools can
choose whether to implement a
numerical grading scale or letter
grading scale, but no student
can receive a failing grade.
Schools can choose to keep
traditional letter grades or use
the city’s new grading policy for
students in grades six through
eight. In those grades, students
will receive a “course in progress”
instead of an “F” letter
grade and parents can choose
to switch their child’s passing
letter grades to a “pass” (P). “P”
grades will not be used to determine
student’s grade point
average, officials said.
The same option applies
to public high schools. High
schools can choose their grading
scales, and students failing
to meet course requirements
will receive grades of “course
in progress”(NX) instead of
an “F” grade. Parents and
guardians of high school students
can request to have their
child’s passing letter grades to
a “credit” (CR). Just like “P”
grades, “CR” grades will not be
factored into a high schooler’s
GPA.
Schools staff are expected
to support students in middle
and high school who receive
“course in progress” grades
with their course work past
the end of the term. Instructors
or schools can set their own
course requirements for those
students. If high school students
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.22 COM | NOV. 6-NOV. 12, 2020
fail to meet those requirements
by relevant deadlines set
by their instructors they will
receive a failing final grade,
DOE officials warned.
The new system is similar
to what officials enacted in the
spring while students, parents
and teachers first grappled with
remote learning challenges.
“This year’s grading policy
maintains a high bar for student
achievement and keeps
our students engaged while being
responsive to the flexibility
our families need in the ongoing
pandemic, ” DOE spokesperson
Danielle Filson wrote in
an email. ” Schools will select a
grading scale that meets the
needs of their community with
a high expectation and the necessary
flexibility to best support
New York City students.”
BY JOE PANTORNO
Put those “Sell The Team”
shirts in your memorabilia
chests, pour yourself a cup of
tea, and take a moment to revel
in what has happened this Friday
afternoon, Mets fans. Steve
Cohen is the owner of the New
York Mets.
Major League Baseball’s
club owners voted to approve
the transferral of the New York
Mets to the hedge fund billionaire
.T
he 64-year-old Long Island
native needed 22 of the remaining
29 club owner votes to get
the final OK from MLB. It is
unclear at this time how many
votes Cohen received.
“On behalf of Major League
Baseball, I congratulate Mr. Cohen
on receiving approval from
the Major League Clubs,” MLB
commissioner Rob Manfred
said. “Steve will bring his lifelong
passion for the Mets to the
stewardship of his hometown
team, and he will be joined by
highly respected baseball leadership
as well. I believe that
Steve will work hard to deliver a
team in which Mets fan can take
pride.”
Just moments later, New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
confirmed that he will not block
Cohen’s takeover, thus eliminating
the final hurdle blocking the
billionaire from the Mets.
“The New York City Law
Department has completed its
legal review of the proposed sale
of the Mets,” de Blasio wrote.
“New York City has no objections
and the Mets can now proceed
with the transaction.”
The mayor’s law department
reviewed Cohen’s credentials to
take over the land at Citi Field
under the 2006 Stadium Lease
Agreement between the New
York City Industrial Development
Agency and Queens Ballpark
Company.
That agreement lists a clause
that would allow the mayor to
block the transferral of city land
to a person who has been convicted
of a felony. Cohen, however,
has not been charged with a
crime despite his former hedge
fund, S.A.C. Capital, having to
pay $1.8 billion in fines for wire
and securities fraud.
Within MLB’s ownership
ranks, it was a well-known fact
that Chicago White Sox owner
Jerry Reinsdorf was opposed
to Cohen taking over the Mets.
He was the lone “no” vote in the
initial eight-man MLB ownership
committee vote last week
and was expected to sway a few
votes his way Friday.
Regardless, Cohen’s confirmation
from all of the powers
that be will make him the
richest owner in Major League
Baseball with a net worth of approximately
$14.6 billion.
While initial expectations
tabbed him to spend that fortune
wildly to thrust the Mets
into contention, multiple reports
from amNewYork Metro
and others have tabbed that will
be far from the case.
Cohen has brought in former
Mets GM and longtime executive
Sandy Alderson as the
team’s president of baseball operations.
Among the first orders
of business — which will include
responsible spending via free
agency and the trade market —
is creating a well-rounded franchise
by beefing up the analytics
department and laying down
roots for international scouting.
Cohen also announced in a
statement that “all Mets employees.
All Mets employees, including
unionized groundskeepers,
security guards, and engineers,
will receive reinstituted prepandemic
salaries as of Nov. 1,
reversing the 5 to 30 percent salary
cut implemented in March.
The value of this commitment is
over $7 million.”
Steve Cohen REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Photo via Getty Images