Carranza apologizes to District 26 parents
Chancellor Richard Carranza at a Jan. 28 press conference. Screenshot via YouTube video
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza issued an apology
to District 26 parents at
a Panel for Education Policy
(PEP) meeting last week.
His mea culpa came
nearly two weeks after the
notorious Jan. 16 meeting
and pushback from elected
officials and parents. At the
Jan. 29 PEP meeting in Manhattan,
Carranza promised
to personally meet with the
M.S. 158 parents in Bayside
who had come forward with
allegations of sexual assault
and physical violence against
their children.
“I, in no way, shape or
form want to show any disrespect
to any parent that
wants to be heard and I apologize
because as a parent
myself, I can only imagine
the pain parents are feeling
when their children have
been hurt,” Carranza said.
He reiterated points he
made during a press conference
on Tuesday, saying
that high ranking school
leaders are actively working
with M.S. 158 to ensure
the environment is “safe and
secure.”
“I would be happy to meet
with those parents that wanted
to express a concern. I will
personally meet with them.
What we will not do is have
a public spectacle. But I will
meet with you and I want to
assure you that I’m getting
almost daily updates about
what is happening in that
school and if there are any
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | FEB. 7-FEB. 13, 2020
concerns that are yet to be resolved,
from the chancellor’s
office, we will make sure that
they are resolved,” the chancellor
said at Wednesday’s
meeting.
The apology comes on the
heels of comments he made
at the mayor’s NYC Community
Schools event, where
the chancellor called the
CEC meeting a “setup” and
blamed “outside agitators,”
in part, for the meeting’s
early end.
Northeast Queens elected
officials requested that the
chancellor and Department
of Education work to reschedule
a school safety meeting
for District 26 parents but it
is unclear whether that will
happen in light of Carranza’s
recent comments.
A DOE spokesperson said
that they were “exploring
options” for potential meetings.
The next PEP meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday,
Feb. 26, at M.S. 131 in Manhattan.
All meetings are live
streamed and recorded.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
I in no way, shape or form want
to show any disrespect to any
parent that wants to be heard and
I apologize because as a parent
myself, I can only imagine the pain
parents are feeling when their
children have been hurt.
Richard Carranza
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