FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 23, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Queens families rally to save Jamaica Estates school
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens lawmakers joined parents,
teachers, alumni and students outside of
the United Nations International School
(UNIS) in Jamaica for a rally on Friday,
Dec. 10, calling on the secretary-general
of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres,
to suspend the decision to close the
school.
Th e school, located at 173-53 Croydon
Rd., is facing closure aft er the UNIS board
of trustees notifi ed the community last
month of its decision to permanently
close the campus in June 2022, citing
enrollment losses and a $2 million defi cit.
Th e drastic decision has been taken
without any formal conclusion, process,
due diligence or transparency with
the families, children, teachers, staff and
administrators who are most aff ected,
according to SAVE UNIS Queens, a coalition
that was formed to keep the school
open that has been in Queens for almost
75 years.
“Everyone knows this is a gem of
a school — it’s in the most ethnically
diverse borough in the country. We have
a gem of excellence here and we are about
to lose it,” said Udai Tambar, a parent and
alumni. “Our request has been simple
throughout this entire process: to pause
this closure and to consult the community,
to come up with joint solutions cocreating
a path forward that is fi nancially
responsible and sustainable.”
As a health care worker and parent,
Jeremy Beitler says he felt a profound
sense of betrayal when the school’s board
of trustees voted to close UNIS Queens in
the midst of a pandemic that has upended
the lives of families and their children.
“When two board members came to
present their decision to our community,
one disclosed that she had never even set
foot before on this campus. She claimed
that it was her decision and that she did
not need to visit a school or its community
to make an informed decision,” Beitler
said. “So let’s clarify what that means —
a member of the UN school’s board of
trustees thought it was OK to vote to disband
this community, without knowing
anything about it except a few budget
lines on an Excel sheet.”
The United Nations International
School consists of 1,600 students between
two campuses: 130 in Queens (kindergarten
through eighth grade) and 1,470 in
Manhattan (pre-K through 12). Its student
body is the most diverse in the world,
representing 109 countries and speaking
91 languages.
According to UNIS Queens, the campus
was founded in 1947 as a small nursery
school by UN parents who wanted to
ensure that their children could maintain
their cultural identities, and an education
that would enable them to return to
any national education system. Gradually,
more grades were added, and admissions
were open to non-UN students who could
follow the program of study.
Alex, 13, has been attending UNIS
Queens since kindergarten and said the
school has become a big part of her childhood
and life, having met loyal friends
and smart, caring teachers.
“During COVID, when I was an online
student, they not only spent extra time
making sure I had the proper education of
any other kid, they made sure that every
single student that walked through those
doors was appreciated and came out educated,”
Alex said. “I have learned three
languages (English, Spanish and French)
and so will every single student standing
here on the sidewalk. Our teachers are fl uent
speakers, from France and Spain. Th ey
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
came to UNIS Queens for a reason and I
think they should stay.”
Another student, Anna, shared her
thoughts on the board’s decision to close
the school.
“It’s not because we don’t have enough
money, we have so much money and I
don’t know why the board thinks they can
shut down the school,” Anna said. “For
about fi ve years they’ve hid this and kept
it a secret that not a lot of kids have been
enrolled. Th ey could’ve told the parents
and I have a lot of friends that could’ve
come to this school.”
In their fi ght to keep the campus open,
parents, students, faculty, alumni and
community members have launched an
online petition that has received more
than 2,000 signatures.
Read more on QNS.com.
Shooting suspect arrested in attempted murder of off -duty NYPD lieutenant
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Offi cers have cuff ed the suspect wanted
for critically injuring an off -duty
NYPD lieutenant during a Queens
shootout on Dec. 16.
Nineteen-year-old Cristian Cruz was
escorted out of the 108th Precinct in
Long Island City Saturday morning to
meet his fate at the hands of a judge,
according to police sources.
Th e teen was arrested Friday, Dec.
17, aft er his alleged involvement in a
deadly gunfi ght at Northern Boulevard
and 57th Street in Woodside that left
one offi cer seriously injured and another
suspect dead; both had been taken to
Elmhurst Hospital.
Police believe the incident occurred
when three men in ski masks attempted
to rob the off -duty lieutenant as he left a
nightclub, ending with a fi refi ght.
Appearing sullen with his eyes locked
on his shoes, the Bronx native was
strapped into the rear of an unmarked
squad car, which will whisk him to
court to face a slew of charges such
as, attempted murder, robbery, assault,
criminal possession of a deadly weapon,
grand larceny and more. Cruz has a
criminal history of 12 prior arrests.
Police are still searching for a second
suspect.
Th e investigation remains active
and ongoing, and anyone with information
about the shootout can call
Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
(for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
You can also submit tips online at
crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on
Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and
messages are kept confi dential.
Photo by Dean Moses
Cristian Cruz, 19, was escorted out of the 108th Precinct in Long Island City to court for his alleged
involvement in a shootout that critically injured an off -duty offi cer.
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