32 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
32 k TiHdE QsU E&EN Se CdOUuRIcERa • tSEiPoTEnMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Maspeth High School personnel accused of grade fraud
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th e city’s Department of Education
(DOE) removed the Maspeth High
School’s principal in early July due to
reports of grade fraud. Now, reports of
other misconduct are being released amid
the scandal.
Principal Khurshid Abdul-Mutakabbir
reportedly intimidated teachers into passing
students despite their failing eff orts,
according to an extensive report by the
Special Commissioner of Investigation
(SCI). Th e allegations date back as far as
2015. Th e misconduct at the school was
a matter of public discussion, according
to the report, and was even the subject of
news stories before any investigations were
started.
Abdul-Mutakabbir pressured staff ers to
off er sham courses to “low priority” students
to quickly get them out of the school
and graduate them early. A source in the
report said that “troubled students” were
enrolled in the classes to receive credits,
but never had to attend or submit any
assignments.
One source, named in the report as
CW5, failed “Student S” in physical education
class. However Abdul-Mutakabbir
told CW5 that Maspeth could not aff ord
summer school for PE, so CW5 would
have to pass Student S. Abdul-Mutakabbir
is reported saying he would give Student S
a diploma that was not “worth the paper it
was printed on” and for him “to have fun
working at Taco Bell.” CW5 felt threatened,
and subsequently changed each failing student’s
grade to a passing one.
Abdul-Mutakabbir also allegedly told
teachers, “We’re not here to teach them
life lessons; college will do that,” and that
Abdul-Mutakabbir “just wanted them out.”
Several other key players at Maspeth
High School refused to be interviewed,
specifi cally, assistant principals Jesse
Pachter and Stefan Singh. Witnesses said
that Pachter and Singh helped carry out
the principal’s fraud and intimidation.
Pachter, who still works at the school,
allegedly received $35,681 per session
for coaching the female varsity fl ag football
team and leading the Public School
Athletic League (PSAL), which required
he be present at all athletic games at the
school. However, a source stated Pachter
never attended any games that year.
Th e DOE said that there weren’t substantial
fi ndings against Pachter, though
he, among others, have been retrained and
have gotten a letter in their fi les.
Head Dean Daniel Sepulveda was also
accused of acting inappropriately with students.
Sepulveda, the wrestling coach, was
recorded as he wrestled a student who
was not a member of the team. Th e video
shows Sepulveda picking up and slamming
the student to the ground. In the SCI
report, a parent is quoted as saying, “it’s
very concerning that a teacher would do
something so violent to a student.”
Th e report concluded that the violent
behavior of Sepulveda was “indisputable.”
“Th ough the student appeared laughing,
the video clearly showed a large, grown
man throwing a thin, young teenager to
the ground,” the report stated.
Sepulveda also texted wrestling students
privately instead of using the appropriate
application, GroupMe, to communicate
with students. Below shows messages
between a student and Sepulveda.
Sepulveda also allegedly became
“friends” with a female student and regularly
drove wrestling students home in his
car. Some students also claimed to have
smoked marijuana in Sepulveda’s apartment,
though no kids were willing to speak
with SCI about these allegations.
Sepulveda was also accused of verbally
giving answers to students during Regents
exams while serving as a proctor. In a text
exchange between Sepulveda and another
witness, CW6, Sepulveda said the following
about his misconduct: “You don’t get
it, man. You came from a very black and
white background in private schools. But
it’s diff erent here. It’s diff erent because I’m
not going to not even give these kids a shot
at the real world because they didn’t pass
high school. Th at’s ridiculous.”
Councilman Robert Holden said this
investigation and the subsequent removal
of Abdul-Mutakabbir took “a ridiculous
amount of time.”
“Th ere was no sense of urgency,” Holden
said. “Whistleblowers fi rst came to my
offi ce more than twoyears
ago and we helped bring
the story to light.”
Holden criticized the
DOE and mayor for
dragging their feet,
while several others
involved in the
scandal are still
working at the
school.
“Th ey also need to be removed,” Holden
said. “If the city won’t do it, it maybe up
to the U.S. Attorney. Allowing an atmosphere
of intimidation and fraudto continueisunfairto
the many great teachers in the
schoolanda great disservice to students.”
Holden said that he recently met with
the new principal, Selin Alicanoglu, and
looks forward to working with her to help
Maspeth High School move forward.
Abdul-Mutakabbir was the fi rst principal
of the school, which was founded
in 2011 and awarded Blue Ribbon status
in 2018.
Abdul-Mutakabbir was also accused of
treating the staff unfairly, favoring members
of his “clique.” Additionally, Maspeth
personnel allegedly used non-DOE email
accounts for school business.
Th e DOE said they are reserving the
right to pursue charges against anyone
found of wrongdoing. Th e DOE will
be holding a hearing for the allegations
against Abdul-Mutakabbir
next month.
Screenshot via Google Maps
Maspeth High School is located at 54-40 74th Street.
City expands NYC Kids RISE college savings initiative
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e city is launching an expansion of the
community-driven NYC Kids RISE Save
for College Program that had its genesis
in the schools of western Queens over the
past decade.
Starting this year, every kindergartener
QNS fi le photo
The historic expansion of the initiative will reach roughly 70,000 kindergarteners citywide.
enrolled in a New York City public
school will have access to an NYC
Scholarship account, with $100 invested
toward their future education and up to
$200 in rewards.
“Here in western Queens we have been
a springboard for the pioneering Save for
College Program that has not only provided
college savings accounts for more
than 13,000 of our students, but also
brought our neighborhoods together to
support our children,” Councilman Danny
Dromm said. “With the rising costs of
higher education, and the importance of
building assets for college and career training
as a strategy to help reduce educational
and wealth disparities, the NYC Kids RISE
Save for College Program off ers a meaningful
part of the solution.”
Th e historic expansion of the initiative,
now dubbed “NYC Baby Bonds,”
will reach roughly 70,000 kindergarteners
citywide.
Research has shown that a child in a
low-income household with a college savings
account of just $1 to $500 is three
times more likely to go to college and more
than four times more likely to graduate
than a child without an account.
“I am pleased to see that the NYC Kids
RISE Save for College Program, which
began as a pilot program in District 30
and has been such a great success in
Queens, will be expanded citywide this
year,” Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan
said. “A help to families, and marking a
bright beginning for so many students,
this program represents the realization of a
great deal of hard work and collaboration.
My thanks to Debra-Ellen Glickstein and
the many community groups who have
made this project possible.”
District 30 includes the neighborhoods
of Astoria, East Elmhurst, Long
Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson
Heights and Corona.
Councilman Francisco Moya said he’s
supported the NYC Kids RISE program
from its earliest days because investment
in youth today “means we’re investing in a
more equitable and prosperous future for
our communities.”
“I want to thank all the educators, parents,
students, community members and
local businesses that have been part of the
Save for College Program to date,” Moya
said. “I look forward to working with
everyone to invest in our children, together,
in the years to come.”
New York will be the fi rst major city in
the nation to implement the groundbreaking
model for community wealth building
that provides ways for stakeholders within
each neighborhood to contribute assetbuilding
and promote communitywide
expectations for students’ success from
their fi rst days of school.
Read more on QNS.com.
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