FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 13
DA’s offi ce looking into Maspeth High School for allegedly fraudulent grades
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Acting Queens District Attorney John
Ryan is conducting his own inquiry into
allegations that Maspeth High School was
boosting the grades of students to reap the
benefi ts of a high graduation rate.
Th is coincides with another investigation
File photo
Maspeth High School founding Principal Khurshid Abdul Mutakabbir at an unrelated Juniper Park Civic Association meeting in 2017.
New bill sets New York state’s presidential primary election in 2020
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
New York state residents will vote in the
presidential primary election on April 28,
2020, based on legislation by state Senator
Michael Gianaris that Governor Andrew
Cuomo signed into law on Sept. 15.
“It is important for New York to maximize
its infl uence in the presidential
nominating process and this bill does just
that,” Gianaris said. “Th e selected date
will increase our state’s allotment of delegates
based on party rules.”
Th e date will entitle New York
Democrats to an additional delegate
bonus of 25 percent at their nominating
convention for a total of 327 delegates.
While Cuomo signed Gianaris’ bill, he
urged lawmakers to take up a bill consolidating
the state, local and congressional
primaries with the presidential primary
when they return to legislative session
in January.
“Although I believe that New Yorkers
would be better served, and more empowered,
by a presidential primary occurring
earlier in the year, I recognize that certain
national political realities prevent the
state Legislature from passing legislation
to accomplish that goal,” Cuomo said in
his signing statement. “Th erefore, in light
of the state’s interest in an orderly election
administration process, and out of concern
for the uncertainty that would likely
ensue if I were to veto this bill, I am signing
this bill.”
In recent weeks, Cuomo pushed to
consolidate the presidential, congressional
and state primaries on the same day
in February, but progressives complained
it was a ploy to embolden establishment
incumbent candidates in the Senate and
Assembly in their primaries.
Cuomo maintained that holding two primary
elections, nearly eight weeks apart,
would reduce voter participation and cost
taxpayers an additional $20 million.
“In addition, managing two separate
elections will also burden an already
troubled Board of Elections system,”
Cuomo said. “Th e state of New York is
stronger when all New Yorkers participate
in its democratic system, and a consolidation
of all primaries is the only way
to achieve that.”
Cuomo added that 15 other states have
a single combined primary for presidential,
federal and state races.
“It is time for New York to do the
same. Sadly, New York has at times
lagged behind the rest of the nation in
terms of voting law and voter accessibility,”
Cuomo said. “New Yorkers
deserve a government that makes voting
easier, not harder, and government
should spend less of the taxpayer’s
money to accomplish that goal, not
more.”
Cuomo had considered vetoing the bill
and moving the primary up to February
aft er the Iowa caucuses and the New
Hampshire primary but decided it was
“not a viable date politically” aft er learning
New York would lose delegates to
the Democratic National Convention as
a penalty.
that is underway by the city
Department of Education aft er the claims
from former teachers came to their attention
recently as well.
“Th e matter is under review by our
Public Integrity Bureau,” a spokesperson
for the acting DA said on Tuesday.
Th e allegations, if proven credible,
could signal the downfall of the school’s
shining reputation which in 2018 was one
of only 349 across the country to receive
the national Blue Ribbon Award for excellence
in education.
Maspeth High School was one of only
eight across the city to get the recognition
from U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos.
It could also be a black mark on the record
of founding Principal Khurshid Abdul
Mutakabbir who has, according to the latest
data from U.S. News & World Report, driven
the graduation rate to 98 percent.
A spokeswoman for the DOE said the
agency requires its staff to undergo rigorous
training to administer exams as well
as “mandatory procedures for allegations
of academic dishonesty and misconduct.”
“We take any allegation of academic
misconduct very seriously, and there
are strict protocols in place to ensure
complaints are reported, investigated and
addressed,” the DOE spokeswoman said.
“Th ese allegations are currently under
investigation.”
Th e school is an attractive option for
parents not just for its credentials, but
because it boasts a 15:1 student/teacher
ratio.
Th e specifi cs of the allegations, however,
are murky.
Councilman Robert Holden issued a
letter to the Special Commissioner of
Investigation Anastasia Coleman claiming
a former teacher had come to his
offi ce with the claims that they were pressured
to give students credit despite scarce
attendance as well as giving away answers
on exams.
Th e letter also overviewed incidents
in which the teachers were pressured to
fall into line with the administration’s
demands or face “negative observations.”
“For a high school to have a 100 percent
pass rate on its regents exams and courses
with a turnover of 15 to 18 teacher every
year, according to the whistleblowers, is
questionable,” Holden said in the letter. “A
school’s leadership should not be run as
a ‘boys club’ nor should teachers feel like
the administration runs the school like
‘gangers.’ Its sole mission is to ensure an
environment that fosters excellent teaching
and learning so that its students are
prepared for college and adulthood.”
Holden’s letter even charged that the
school’s union rep had pressured teachers
to fi ll out a positive review of the school
and the administration.
Photo via Getty Images
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